It appears that Democrats have landed a pretty solid candidate for the open seat that GOP Rep. Todd Tiahrt's leaving behind in his pursuit of Sam Brownback's Senate seat. From the Wichita Eagle:
State Rep. Raj Goyle, D-Wichita, announced today that he will run for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard.
In a written statement, Goyle said, "I am running because too many Kansas families and businesses are struggling right now. [...]
The second-term state representative's interest in the race had been known for months. Party leaders said they were delighted that he is now formally in.
"He is the most talented person I know to run for this job, bar none," said John Carmichael, 4th District chairman for the Democratic Party. "Not only because he is a good campaigner, but because he is a bright legislator."
Back in January, SSP diarist kansasjackass had more on Goyle's profile:
State Rep. Raj Goyle shocked the Kansas political establishment when he beat incumbent Republican State Rep. Bonnie Huy in 2006, and has since made a name for himself as an able and ambitious member of the state legislature. As a testament to the quality of a candidate he is, in his reliably Republican district his original election in 2006 wasn't that close (56%-44%) and his re-election in 2008 was a blow-out: He won 67% of the vote.
While I can't say much about the history of Goyle's Wichita-based legislative district (HD87), it narrowly voted for McCain over Obama by a 51-48 margin in 2008 according to the skunkworks down at SSP Labs. However, the 4th CD itself is much more heavily R; McCain romped by a 58-40 margin here, while Bush posted an even-better 64-34 result in 2004. No Democrat has held this seat since Dan Glickman was turfed in 1994.
Goyle will have to prove himself to be an exceptionally talented fundraiser and campaigner in order to turn this into a real race, but his electoral track record is impressive enough to suggest that he could make this a district worth keeping an eye on.
