It may have been the shortest political career in recent memory.

A little more than a week ago, Steve Rose, publisher of the Johnson County Sun, announced he was joining the GOP primary race to run for Democrat Dennis Moore's Third Congressional District seat. A day or two after that, Rose canceled out of a JoCo candidate forum. Friday, Rose went one better and pulled out of the race entirely.

Rose said his doctor insisted he withdraw because of health problems brought on by the stress of the campaign. Rose suffers from Crohn’s Disease, and the campaign had already made the illness flare up.

In a letter sent to supporters and to the press, Rose said he had raised $72,000 in cash during the nine days of the short-lived campaign, with an additional $32,000 in pledged commitments. Rose also had contributed $250,000 to his own campaign.

Rose was running as a “moderate” Republican, though he regularly criticized Republicans in his Johnson County Sun columns and had endorsed his would-be opponent in every previous election.

Rose's letter also mentioned a preliminary poll, which was conducted by the campaign, in which Rose was identified as having name recognition with 60 percent of Republicans, with a “two-to-one favorable vs. unfavorable rating.”

“This would have been a great advantage in the campaign,” Rose said.

Rose told Kansas Liberty the entirety of the poll would not be made public.

House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, said he found it hard to believe Rose had a favorable name response among Republicans.

“I don’t know where that would have come from,” Merrick told Kansas Liberty. “I figured that if every person Rose has trashed in his column voted against him, he may end up getting a total of two or three votes.”

John Rysavy, Third Congressional District candidate, said he was not surprised Rose was leaving the race.

“I don’t know that there is a whole lot of difference between Mr. Rose and Mr. Moore,” Rysavy told Kansas Liberty. Rose had publicly endorsed Moore over his Republican challengers during each of Moore’s six terms.

Third District candidate Patricia Lightner said she had somewhat expected Rose to pull out of the race at some point during his campaign.

“I thought somewhere down the line he would consider it but I was surprised it happened so fast,” Lightner told Kansas Liberty. “I wish him well. Being sick is no fun.”

While Lightner’s campaign experienced an increase of interest after Rose entered the race, Rysavy said he had not noticed an increase of attention.

Rysavy pointed out that a column Rose wrote in late August, a few weeks prior to announcing his candidacy, failed to mention Rysavy as a candidate, though he had filed with the Federal Elections Commission at the time and his campaign was public knowledge.

Daniel Gilyeat had also officially entered the race at the time though he was also not mentioned in the article.

Rose did mention Lightner as well as possible candidates Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, and neurosurgeon Steve Reintjes. Neither Yoder nor Reintjes had entered the race at the time the column was written, and have not announced their intentions to enter the race since.

Rose said he would start writing his column again next week.

“Now he can get back in the business of beating up on the rest of us,” Merrick said. 

Previously on Kansas Liberty:

'Moderate' newspaper publisher enters race for Third District seat: http://www.kansasliberty.com/liberty-update-archive/2009/21sep/newspaper-publisher-and-liberal-republican-enters-race/

Rose candidacy in Third District lifts interest: http://www.kansasliberty.com/liberty-update-archive/2009/28sep/third-district-candidate-steve-rose-bows-out-of-tonights-joco-candidate-forum/

Resources:
Rysavy for Congress
http://www.jrforcongress.com/

Lightner for Congress
http://www.patricialightner.com/

Gilyeat for Congress
http://www.danielgilyeat.com/

The Week in Review