Yoder wins Republican nod in Rep. Moore's district
| Kansas state Rep. Kevin Yoder has captured the Republican nomination in the race for retiring Rep. Dennis Moore’s (D-Kan.) congressional seat.
Yoder fought off eight other Republicans to secure the nomination with 45 percent of the vote. The Associated Press called the race with nearly 98 percent of precincts reporting. Yoder won 45 percent to Patricia Lightner’s 37 percent. The rest of the GOP field was in single digits. Yoder will face Democrat Stephene Moore in November — the wife of retiring Rep. Dennis Moore, who won the Democratic primary handily Tuesday. Yoder is on the NRCC’s radar — he’s a “contender” in the committee’s Young Guns candidate program — and he has proven adept at raising money. In the second quarter of the year, Yoder raised $290,000 for his race. That figure blew the other GOP contenders out of the water and observers expected Yoder to win easily Tuesday. The race between Yoder and Moore is expected to be close this fall. The two have already engaged one another, with Yoder’s camp trying to label Moore as the incumbent given that she’s running for her husband’s seat. Meanwhile, Democrats are placing their hopes in the district’s independent streak. The 3rd district voted for former President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, but went narrowly for President Obama two years ago. |