Roberts, Ryun report big fund-raising numbers

Here are today’s headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Sen. Pat Roberts (R)!(AP) Roberts already in full campaign mode: Sen. Pat Roberts has more than $1.2 million in the bank ahead of next year’s re-election bid, his campaign staff said Thursday, a signal that the Kansas Republican will mount an aggressive campaign though his seat is not considered vulnerable. Roberts, who intends to seek a third Senate term, raised about $628,300 during the first three months of the year, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. While no Democrat has emerged yet to challenge him, Roberts said he is wary of the force of outside political groups, which funneled nearly $300 million to influence the outcome of elections in 2006. “The outside groups could dump in money for attack ads, which has been more and more the modus operandi today in politics, which I think is most unfortunate,” Roberts said.(NYT) Senate Bill Seeks Power for Medicare on Drug Costs: Senate Democratic leaders pushed Wednesday for legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans. Their bill does not go as far as one passed by the House, which requires such negotiations. … Republicans like Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa said the drug benefit was working well, with costs to the government and to beneficiaries far below the levels initially predicted. Medicare officials say the average beneficiary premium for the basic drug benefit is $22 a month, about 40 percent lower than the original projection. Mr. Grassley said the Democratic proposals were “political pandering,” a result of campaign slogans that do not translate well into legislation. Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, said, “The 2008 election year is here a lot earlier than we had anticipated.”(KC Star) Climate change battle hits homefront: Hanson is among a dozen local steering committee members for Saturday’s rally, “Step It Up 2007 National Climate Day of Action,” which was launched nationally by author and environmentalist Bill McKibben. She will be the stage manager at the Kansas City rally, keeping a program of singers and speakers on schedule. … In Hanson’s letter to Congress members, she explained that the purpose of the rallies was to get Congress to commit to reducing the country’s carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. So far, none has agreed to attend the Kansas City rally. Several Democrats, including Reps. Dennis Moore and Emanuel Cleaver and Sen. Claire McCaskill, plan to send representatives or provide letters of support to be read at the event. A response from Republican Sen. Pat Roberts didn’t directly address the upcoming rally and indicated that he was interested in further climate change research. “While global warming is a complex and controversial issue,” Roberts’ response stated, “there remains uncertainties concerning the cause and effect of climate change.”Rep. Nancy Boyda (D) !(AP) Ryun raises $275,000 in bid for former seat: Former Kansas GOP Rep. Jim Ryun has raised $275,000 this year in his quest to regain the seat he lost to Democrat Nancy Boyda, but he may have to spend a large chunk of it fending off other Republicans in the primary. “I’m really humbled by the contributions to the campaign,” Ryun said Wednesday. “They show that there’s great support from the district.” Though official fundraising numbers won’t be released to the Federal Election Commission until later this week, Ryun said he is eager to show the “broad support” his campaign has received. He plans to report $255,000 cash on hand for the race. The cash will help fuel what is shaping up as a contentious primary fight with State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, a Topeka Republican who last week filed to run for the 2nd District seat. “We’re very curious to see what percent of his donations came from Kansas,” Jenkins spokesman Jeff Wagaman said. “It’s our understanding he’s been raising money in Washington quite a bit.” Boyda is expected to report raising $137,000 during the same three-month period and $171,300 in the bank once her final figures are tallied, spokeswoman Shanan Guinn said.Rep. Jerry Moran (R) !(Hutch News) Moran talks about Darfur, life-changing trip to Sudan: It’s important to shine the light on what’s happening in the Darfur region of Sudan, said U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, who recently returned from a three-day visit to the African country. The Hays Republican is co-chairman of the Congressional Hunger Caucus and was part of a bipartisan, 11-member delegation led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. “You cannot go to Darfur without having your life changed,” Moran said in a media conference call Monday.