State Sen. Dick Kelsey (R) announced Friday that he is suspending his House campaign because of a "family health issue." Kelsey was one of several Republicans seeking the 4th district seat currently held by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R), who is running for Senate.

"During the coming months I will devote all my energy to my work in the State Senate and in working through a family health issue," Kelsey said in a news release.

Two wealthy businessmen, Wink Hartman and Republican National Committeeman Mike Pompeo, are running in the GOP primary alongside several other little-known candidates. State Rep. Raj Goyle is the only competitive Democrat in the race.

CQ Politics currently rates this general election contest as Likely Republican.

House Democrats have been on the hunt for someone to run for the seat of retiring Rep. Dennis Moore(D-Kan.)

Perhaps they didn't need to look further than Moore's own home.

According to a report in the Kansas City Star, Moore floated his wife Stephene as a possible contender for the seat. Moore told a luncheon crowd this weekend that his wife was a potential candidate and Democrats should "stay tuned."

Meanwhile, former Johnson County Commissioner candidate Charlotte O'Hara (R) dropped out of the race. Several local prominent Republicans, including former state Sen. Nick Jordan and state Rep. Kevin Yoder, are running in the Aug. 3 primary.

CQ Politics currently rates this general election contest as Likely Republican.

To follow all the 2010 House races, check out our election map.

Congressional candidate Nick Jordan, a former Kansas state senator, released an internal poll showing him far ahead of his Republican rivals as the race begins for the of retiring Democrat Dennis Moore (D-Kan.)

Just as interesting, though, is what the polling memo doesn't say. It doesn't say what percentage of those surveyed don't have a preferred candidate.

But hey, we can count.

Here's how the GOP primary breaks down according to the memo:

If you're trying to keep up with the Senate primaries, you'll want to check out this link from an ABC affiliate in Wichita.

Two House members, Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt, are vying for the Republican nomination for the seat that Sen. Sam Brownback is relinquishing to run for governor.

Sounds like Moran and Tiahrt got a bit testy with each other -- and for good reason. Kansas is such a Republican state that the real battle is the August primary.

CQ Politics rates the general election race Safe Republican.

To follow all the 2010 Senate contests, check out our election map.

Republican Sam Brownback, who is retiring from the U.S. Senate to pursue a bid for governor, got some welcome and timely news Wednesday. On the same day that Brownback drew a potentially competitive Democratic challenger, he also received a set of new and improved job approval poll numbers.

Democrat Tom Holland accepted a daunting task when he entered the open-seat race for governor of Kansas on Wednesday.

The state senator wants to challenge retiring U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a well-known and well-funded fixture of Kansas politics for almost a quarter century who has been positioning himself for this race for well more than a year.

A pair of powerful, Washington, D.C.-based interest groups and one of the city's most prominent tax reform advocates annouced new Congressional endorsements during a snowy Tuesday in the nation's capital.

First, the pro-abortion-rights group EMILY's List announced that it was endorsing Terri Sewell (D) in the crowded primary in Alabama's safely Democratic 7th district.

"As a successful attorney and community leader, Terri has dedicated herself to making life better for all Alabamians," said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List, in a release Tuesday. "As a candidate, she's focused her campaign on economic development that will create jobs and opportunity for hard-working Alabama families.Those are the qualities that will set her apart in this crowded field of candidates in the June Democratic primary."

Sewell's top opponent in the race to replace Rep. Artur Davis (D) -- who is running for governor -- appears to be state Rep. Earl Hilliard Jr. (D), the son of ex-Rep. Earl Hilliard (D).

Meanwhile, the political action committee for the powerful anti-tax group the Club for Growth announced it's own endorsements in two open seat races that Republican's are expected to hold in 2010.

The Club is supporting former state Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith in Tennessee's 3rd district and businessman Mike Pompeo in Kansas's 4th district.

"Mike Pompeo and Robin Smith are exactly what Washington and America need right now: honest, principled leaders who realize that big government is the problem, not the solution," said Club President Chris Chocola.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist also jumped into the endorsement fray on Tuesday. Norquist annouced that he is backing former state House Speaker Marco Rubio in his bid for Florida's open Senate seat. Rubio is locked in a high profile primary against Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

"I have followed Marco Rubio's career very closely and am proud to support him in his bid for U.S. Senate," said Norquist. "In closely examining his record, I remain convinced he has been the most courageous, pro-taxpayer legislative leader in the country and will continue this path in the U.S. Senate."

Rep. Jerry Moran continues to hold a narrow lead over Rep. Todd Tiahrt for the GOP nomination to succeed Sen. Sam Brownback, who is running for governor, according to a SurveyUSA poll taken Jan. 29-31.

Moran leads Tiahrt 40 percent to 33 percent, an increase of 3 points for Moran and a drop of 1 point for Tiahrt from a SurveyUSA poll taken two months ago. Moran has led in every poll SurveyUSA has taken on the race, although his margin has been outside the margin of error just once, and that was more than a year ago.

The two represent the state's largest population centers. Moran's district includes Kansas City, KS, and its suburbs, and Tiahrt's district includes Wichita and the counties surrounding it near the Oklahoma border. Both were elected to Congress in the late 1990s. Moran has served seven terms; Tiahrt has served eight.

The poll was based on automated telephone interviews with 1,500 adults, 1,321 of whom are registered voters, and 519 of whom are considered likely voters. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

State Rep. Raj Goyle (D) announced he has raised about $253,000 in the last three months of 2009, adding to a total of almost $583,500 cash on hand.

Goyle attracted national attention to his uphill bid for Kansas' 4th district when he announced last year that he raised more than $400,000 in his first quarter in the race. And according to his most recentl fundraising numbers, Goyle is not slowing down anytime soon.

It's money that he's going to need in his bid for the seat currently held by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), who is leaving the House to run for Senate. Several Republicans, including a few candidates with deep pockets, are running in the August primary.

Kansas state Sen. Laura Kelly (D) announced Thursday that she is ending her campaign for the 2nd district seat that first-term Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R) is defending.

Kelly, who initiated her campaign in October, said in a statement that she made "a very hard decision" to withdraw from the race because she could not honor her legislative duties and run a full-fledged congressional campaign at the same time.

"As the financial condition of this state has worsened, it has become clear that there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to make it possible for me to fulfill my duties as a state senator who is the ranking member of the Senate's budget committee and be a fulltime candidate for Congress," Kelly said.

Another potential Republican candidate has deferred to 2008 GOP nominee Nick Jordan to run for retiring Rep. Dennis Moore's (D) seat.

State Sen. Jeff Colyer (R), who previously said he was interested in running for the GOP nomination, said Monday that he was not going to run for Moore's seat. Colyer announced he was supporting Jordan, a former state Senator who lost to Moore by 16 points last year.

"I am grateful for the support and encouragement of so many friends regarding this race. I love public service and enjoy campaigning, but now is not the right time for me to be a congressional candidate," Colyer said in a statement. "However, the issues facing America are too important for any of us to sit on the sidelines. That's why I'm proud to endorse Nick Jordan."

A Kansas state senator announced Tuesday that he is considering challenging Republican freshman Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the GOP primary in August 2010.

GOP State Sen. Dennis Pyle announced that he is considering entering the race, plus filed his candidacy last week. Jenkins defeated former Rep. Jim Ryun in the 2008 GOP primary, then went on to defeat one-term Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda in the general election.

"When Lynn was elected, there were a lot of Republicans who were suspect of how genuine a conservative she was," Pyle said in his announcement. "But most of us decided to take a wait-and-see approach. With her record before she was elected to Congress, and just a few votes while in Congress, it is abundantly clear that Lynn is not a conservative."

Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) is reportedly going to announce today that he won't seek re-election, making him the first Member of Congress this cycle to announce an outright retirement from the House.

The six-term Democrat's departure, which was reported first by the Kansas City Star Monday morning, will leave his Republican-leaning district up for grabs in 2010. Moore's 3rd district seat will no doubt be a top pick up opportunity for Republicans, who have already indicated they plan to target the seat. Several candidates have already expressed interest, including the 2008 GOP nominee Nick Jordan.

Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., endorsed a second candidate in another GOP Senate primary, picking Rep. Todd Tiahrt over Rep. Jerry Moran in Kansas' open-seat Senate race.

Moran and Tiahrt are in a competitive race for the GOP nomination -- the winner of that contest in August 2010 is expected to be the next senator from Kansas.

Inhofe announced last week that he was backing former House Speaker Marco Rubio over Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida's GOP Senate primary.

"There is a real battle going on in Washington, a philosophical battle between [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and her Washington liberals, who want to tax and spend this country into deeper recession and mind-numbing debt and a group of conservatives who believe we must stop bailing out Wall Street and start investing again in Main Street," Inhofe said. "Todd Tiahrt is one of those conservatives."

One of the top Democratic picks for Kansas governor has decided to take a pass.

Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates, who reportedly was the choice of current Gov. Mark Parkinson, turned down a bid this week. GOP Sen. Sam Brownback is stepping down from the Senate to run for governor in 2010, and Gates’ decision further clears the path for him to win the seat next November.

“The demands of our businesses in this economic crisis will not permit me to become a candidate,” Gates said in a published letter about his decision.

“We owe it to our investors, our loyal employees, our customers and our family to give our fullest attention to weathering this severe business downturn. I would owe it to you and all Kansans to run an aggressive, full-time campaign on the issues. The reality is, I cannot do both.”