Kansas author Sarah Smarsh met with Schumer about possible U.S. Senate run in 2020

WASHINGTON -- Sarah Smarsh, author of a bestselling memoir about growing up poor in rural Kansas, is considering a Democratic candidacy for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2020 after weeks of public and private encouragement.

But she’s in no hurry to join the race.

Smarsh, 38, a 2018 National Book Award finalist for “Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth,” confirmed Tuesday that she met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, last month to discuss the race.

The book’s success and its focus on class has sparked speculation about a political future for the author for months.

“Conversations have made it clear that, as a proud product of rural America, a longtime chronicler of Kansas for a national audience, and a progressive woman who was raised in a moderately conservative environment, I am a cultural bridge person who would offer voters a unique option in the race,” said Smarsh, who spoke at Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s inauguration in January.

Read more: https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article229574329.html