(Screengrab via CNN)
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) received a brutal assessment Friday from a top election analyst, who suggested he deserves an award for running one of the worst campaigns of the 2026 midterm elections.
The unflattering honor came from Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report, who singled out Marshall during a Friday appearance with CNN's Dana Bash. Taylor pointed to ruby red Kansas as one of the biggest surprises of the election cycle.
“I think Roger Marshall probably wins the award for running maybe the worst campaign,” Taylor said. “He could have put this race away earlier.”
Taylor said the MAGA Republican appeared to ignore warnings from National Republicans about the difficult political environment.
“I know that the NRSC told their incumbents, ' You need to be ready. This is a tough cycle,’” she said. “And he was one who did not apparently heed that.”
“He didn’t even have staff or consultants up until just a few weeks ago,” Taylor added.
Her scathing review came as she outlined a dramatically expanded Senate battleground map, with several traditionally Republican states now in play.
"But Kansas, I think, is the big surprise of the cycle,” Taylor told Bash on her show Friday. She credited Democrats for recruiting strong candidates and taking advantage of “Republican divisions.”
But the growing anxiety extends beyond Kansas.
Asked by Bash where Republicans were most concerned about losing ground, congressional reporter Leanne Caldwell delivered a blunt response.
“Everywhere,” Caldwell said. “They are really worried everywhere.”
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