Republicans held off a surprisingly strong Democratic challenge for a Kansas House seat in the first congressional election since President Donald Trump's November victory.
That's a relatively small margin in Kansas' right-leaning 4th district, which Trump won by 27 points and Pompeo won by more than 30 points in November. Ted Cruz (R-TX) made a last-minute appearance in Wichita to campaign for Estes.
Estes, the state treasurer, defeated Democrat James Thompson 52.5 percent to 45.7 percent, according to complete but unofficial results.
Tuesday's special election in Kansas-the first congressional election during the Trump presidency- determined who will fill the vacancy left by the newly appointed CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
So what does it mean? "If you cry wolf all the time, it makes it very hard to actually move resources (when) you have a real race", Ian Russell, last year's DCCC political director, said.
"Ron Estes is running TODAY for Congress in the Great State of Kansas". Both Trump and Pence recorded robocalls on behalf of Estes.
Pochettino urges Spurs players to keep up pressure on leaders
Mauricio Pochettino has warned Chelsea that his Tottenham side are ready to capitalise on any more slips from the Premier League leaders.
In addition to the Kansas seat, Republicans are defending GOP-leaning seats in Georgia, Montana and SC - while Democrats are protecting a seat in a liberal California district.
With the Kansas race over, attention will shift to next week's free-for-all in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, left vacant when Tom Price became health and human services secretary. "That we were going to lose a Republican seat, that it was a special election, that it was a chance for the Democrats, they were motivated, there was a lot of angst against the president. Pompeo carried this district by over 20 points year after year, election after election, and for this to be a single digit race now is a sign that voters are dissatisfied with how things have happened", Jarman said.
In a further warning sign for Republicans, Estes narrowly lost the district's most populous county around the city of Wichita to his Democratic opponent James Thompson, a political newcomer. But he came within 7 points in one of the most Republican districts in the nation.
The fourth congressional district - like most of the surrounding area in south central Kansas - is rock-solid Republican. And Estes' struggles were also seen as a rebuke to unpopular Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.
Democrats and pundits immediately began asking whether the outcome might have been different if Democratic groups - such as the DCCC, the Democratic National Committee and the Kansas Democratic Party - had done more to help Thompson. "People are prepared, they're fired up they're ready to go they're ready to organize and to turn out and vote like we've never voted before". And despite the actual results, he tweeted Wednesday morning that Estes "easily" won the race, even though the Democrats "spent heavily" and "predicted victory". With a fractured, 11-candidate Republican field, Democrats hope Ossoff can cross the 50% threshold and avoid a June one-on-one runoff with the leading GOP candidate.
"Republicans in the era of Trump have a problem even with Trump voters in the suburbs", said Jesse Ferguson, a former strategist for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Comments