Topeka — U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., on Tuesday easily defeated a field of underfinanced opponents.
"I represent the mainstream of where Kansans are," Brownback said. "It is generally a conservative state."
Brownback was ahead of his nearest challenger, Democrat Lee Jones, of Lenexa, by 68 percent to 29 percent.
Jones said Brownback's lead in campaign funds was too much to overcome.
"The bottom line is, he had $3 million, and we had $80,000," Jones said.
Write-in candidate Horace Edwards, of Topeka, Reform Party candidate George Cook, of Mission, and Libertarian Steve Rosile, of Wichita, split the remainder of the vote.
Brownback, 48, the godfather of conservative Republicans in Kansas, often has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2006 governor's race.
The current governor, Kathleen Sebelius, is a Democrat who dispatched Brownback ally Tim Shallenburger in 2002.
But on Tuesday, Brownback, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, declined to speculate, saying he was "focused" on the Senate.
A simpler tax system, returning the Big Red One military division to Kansas from Europe, opening Japan to beef imports and helping the aircraft industry in Kansas will be his priorities, he said.
Unofficial election results
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