The political ground shifts in Kansas 3rd district with the retirement of Democrat Dennis Moore and Republicans are aiming for a further tilt in their favor if they can avoid a contentious primary.
Moore unexpectedly announced Monday morning he would not run for re-election after six terms in the House.
It is time for a new generation of leadership to step forward" Moore said in a statement.
The move improves the changes of Republicans picking up the seat and several candidates many of them past challengers to Moore already have expressed interest.
The developments led CQ Politics to change the rating on this race to Tossup from the far less competitive ranking of Likely Democratic.
A handful of potential candidates met Monday morning in Johnson County to sort out what is looking like a crowded field for the GOP nomination. Those who attended the meeting agreed to start campaigning and raising money earlier in order for the viable candidates to emerge before the late August primary next year so an intra-party contest can be avoided so close to the general election.
The Republican 2008 nominee former state Sen. Nick Jordan and state Rep. Kevin Yoder announced Monday they were getting into the race plus a handful of other prominent local Republicans including State Sen. Jeff Colyer the 2002 candidate and the 2000 candidate attorney Greg Musil publicly expressed interest in running Monday. Unless Republicans can clear or at least winnow the field a crowded primary will hurt their chances of winning the seat.
On the other hand Democrats will be hard-pressed to find a candidate in the mold of Moore a key moderate player among Blue Dog Democrats to keep the seat. Not only did Moore win by increasingly large margins from his first election in 1998 until 2006 but President Obama also carried the district with 51 percent of the vote in 2008. The district is comprised mostly of Johnson County one of the fastest-growing and wealthiest areas in the state and there Sen. John McCain R-Ariz. won with 54 percent.
In his retirement announcement Moore called for robust competition" between both parties to fill his seat in 2010.
As the first Democrat elected to represent this district in 40 years back in 1998 I know that there didnt used to be partisan competition in northeast Kansas" he said. This progress is good for democracy and important in ensuring that all voices are heard."
It was a gathering of people to talk about what we were going to do as Republicans" said Johnson County Republican Party Chairman Ronnie Metsker. There were some key players in the room who wanted to talk about the good of the party as a whole."
Jordan lost to Moore 40 percent to 56 percent but he begins the open-seat race likely in the best position because of the name identification built during his last bid. Jordan also said that National Republican Congressional Committee recruitment chairman Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Tom Price R-Ga. had called him in the last few weeks to talk about the race.
The NRCC also has been in contact with a well-known neurosurgeon in the area Steve Reintjes who has expressed interested in the race and could put some of his own personal wealth towards a bid. Reintjes did not return a request for comment left at his office.
The district will be difficult for the Democrats to hold onto without Moore.
The political ground shifts in Kansas 3rd district with the retirement of Democrat Dennis Moore and Republicans are aiming for a further tilt in their favor if they can avoid a contentious primary.
Moore unexpectedly announced Monday morning he would not run for re-election after six terms in the House.
It is time for a new generation of leadership to step forward" Moore said in a statement.
The move improves the changes of Republicans picking up the seat and several candidates many of them past challengers to Moore already have expressed interest.
The developments led CQ Politics to change the rating on this race to Tossup from the far less competitive ranking of Likely Democratic.
A handful of potential candidates met Monday morning in Johnson County to sort out what is looking like a crowded field for the GOP nomination. Those who attended the meeting agreed to start campaigning and raising money earlier in order for the viable candidates to emerge before the late August primary next year so an intra-party contest can be avoided so close to the general election.
The Republican 2008 nominee former state Sen. Nick Jordan and state Rep. Kevin Yoder announced Monday they were getting into the race plus a handful of other prominent local Republicans including State Sen. Jeff Colyer the 2002 candidate and the 2000 candidate attorney Greg Musil publicly expressed interest in running Monday. Unless Republicans can clear or at least winnow the field a crowded primary will hurt their chances of winning the seat.
On the other hand Democrats will be hard-pressed to find a candidate in the mold of Moore a key moderate player among Blue Dog Democrats to keep the seat. Not only did Moore win by increasingly large margins from his first election in 1998 until 2006 but President Obama also carried the district with 51 percent of the vote in 2008. The district is comprised mostly of Johnson County one of the fastest-growing and wealthiest areas in the state and there Sen. John McCain R-Ariz. won with 54 percent.
In his retirement announcement Moore called for robust competition" between both parties to fill his seat in 2010.
As the first Democrat elected to represent this district in 40 years back in 1998 I know that there didnt used to be partisan competition in northeast Kansas" he said. This progress is good for democracy and important in ensuring that all voices are heard."
It was a gathering of people to talk about what we were going to do as Republicans" said Johnson County Republican Party Chairman Ronnie Metsker. There were some key players in the room who wanted to talk about the good of the party as a whole."
Jordan lost to Moore 40 percent to 56 percent but he begins the open-seat race likely in the best position because of the name identification built during his last bid. Jordan also said that National Republican Congressional Committee recruitment chairman Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Tom Price R-Ga. had called him in the last few weeks to talk about the race.
The NRCC also has been in contact with a well-known neurosurgeon in the area Steve Reintjes who has expressed interested in the race and could put some of his own personal wealth towards a bid. Reintjes did not return a request for comment left at his office.
The district will be difficult for the Democrats to hold onto without Moore.
