Jerry Moran breezes by Democrat Mark Holland into a third term in Washington

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran sailed past Democrat Mark Holland to win another six-year term in the U.S. Senate, cementing his status as one of the most broadly popular politicians in Kansas on a night when other statewide races were much closer.

Moran's decision to run for a third term in Washington drew a few raised eyebrow,s but he faced no opposition in the Republican primary and the Associated Press called the race for Moran over Holland, a former mayor of Kansas City, Kan., shortly after all polls closed in the state at 8 p.m.

Moran has largely charted his own course over the campaign, a move representative of his unique brand in Kansas and his penchant for gravitating towards such issues as boosting aid for veterans impacted by toxic burn pits rather than the culture war issues of the day.

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He campaigned largely independent of his fellow Republican candidates, eschewing the state GOP bus tour to gin up conservative support in favor of a series of low-key events held in partnership with the Kansas Farm Bureau. Four days before Election Day, he appeared in Wichita to pack food boxes for Ukranian refugees abroad.

Moran, the lone Republican in the Kansas Congressional delegation to vote to certify the 2020 election, still has often had a conservative voting record in the U.S. Senate on such issues as COVID-19 vaccine mandates and reducing government spending. He also was backed by President Donald Trump, a move that helped to deter a potential primary challenger.

Holland attempted to paint Moran as extreme and in lockstep with his Senate Republican colleagues. But Moran's re-election was largely expected; polling showed him increase his lead from 12 points in September to 21 points a month later. Moran won by 23 points, according to preliminary results.

"Jerry Moran has positioned himself quite well," said Nathaniel Birkhead, professor of political science at Kansas State University. "And does casework that a lot of voters just really appreciate here in the state."

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Jerry Moran wins another term to represent Kansas in U.S Senate