U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall says he won’t consider any appointment to a spot in the Trump White House within this election cycle, seeming to put to rest concerns that his early resignation could cancel this year’s much-watched senatorial contest.
Marshall made the comments during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
When asked by moderator Ryan Nobles if he would accept a position in the Trump administration if asked, Marshall said, “There’s no truth to that at all. I have no interest in doing that. No one from the Trump administration has approached me over anything like that.”
He continued, “I’m right where I need to be. I’m where God has put me that he’s prepared me for this day.”
Kansas law changes how U.S. Senate vacancy is filled
With his question, Nobles was referencing a 2025 Kansas law that sets a new process for replacing the state’s U.S. senator, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance in case of a vacancy before their terms are up.
In previous years, the governor would have had discretion to choose the replacement. The new law limits the governor’s choice to candidates recommended by a vacancy committee dominated by the party in power or by the full legislature.
Gov. Laura Kelly is a Democrat, but the Kansas House and Senate are controlled by a Republican majority.
Marshall’s current six-year term would be over next January. If he doesn’t win re-election this fall, a new senator would take over after that.
The law says that if the vacancy occurs on or after May 1 in an even-numbered year (like this year), then voters wouldn’t get to weigh in until the next congressional election, two years after the vacancy occurs.
If that were to happen this year, Marshall’s appointed successor would not serve for re-election until 2028.
If Marshall were to resign this summer, for example, some were concerned that Republicans could maintain control past the general election, upending the campaigns of 11 Democrats and one other Republican who have filed to challenge him for the Aug. 4 primary.
“I am ruling out any appointment to the Trump administration”
The Kansas Reflector reported earlier this month that the new vacancy procedure has been on the minds of the state’s politicos because of rumors that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. would be ousted. That would possibly leave a position open for Marshall, who is a physician.
State Sen. Mike Thompson, a Republican from Shawnee and an architect of the 2025 state law, told the Kansas City Star that state legislators were aware of that speculation when they started work on the vacancy replacement bill, but were not “one hundred percent sure” that Marshall would be Trump’s choice for the cabinet position.
On follow-up questioning on Meet the Press, Marshall said he has more to accomplish in the Senate.
“I am ruling out any appointment in the Trump Administration at least through the next two or three years,” he said. “Who knows what will happen four years from now?”
The Post reached out to Thompson and Marshall’s office for any additional comments but has not heard back from either.
Would it be constitutional?
The law has drawn scrutiny in part because it could run afoul of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows the state executive to appoint a temporary senator until the voters elect one.
Two Democrats vying for their party’s senatorial nomination in November have mentioned it in press releases or on social media.
In a press release June 18, a spokesperson for Leawood pastor Adam Hamilton called the state law a “desperate scheme.”
“Now that (Marshall’s) campaign is failing and floundering, it looks like the Kansas GOP is desperately trying to hatch a plan to cancel the election for their out of touch and deeply unpopular candidate,” said Tyson Brody, communications director for Hamilton for Kansas.
“The only problem with their plan is the U.S. Constitution, which is clear on the matter: there will be an election this year, this seat will be decided by the voters in November, and no matter what tricks he pulls to avoid facing Kansans, Roger Marshall is going to lose and Adam Hamilton is going to be elected the next Senator from Kansas.”
Kansas state Sen. Patrick Schmidt weighed in on Facebook.
“This is exactly the kind of corrupt backroom power grab that Kansans are fed up with. Republicans rigged the rules in 2025 so they could hand-pick a senator without letting voters have a say. That is not how Democracy works,” he said.
