Opera house v. tennis dome: Kan. race for Senate reveals tricky business of earmarks

Kan. race shows earmarks are tricky business

McPHERSON, Kan. — For some members of Congress, bringing home the bacon isn’t what it used to be. And for two of them seeking represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate, it’s become a bad career move.

U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran is locked in a bitter primary fight for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination with U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt — who criticizes Moran as a fallen-away conservative in love with federal pork.

Moran — who raised the issue of wasteful spending to begin with — is busy ridiculing the inflatable tennis court dome in Wichita that Tiahrt subsidized with federal funds.

The debate underscores how the age-old election tool of bringing home federal dollars is suddenly backfiring, as government spending becomes a central issue in the midterm election.