U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore kicked off his re-election campaign Thursday with low-key, no-frills appearances in Lawrence, Overland Park and Kansas City.

Speaking from the front porch of the home of Charles and Kathryn Branson, 1027 R.I., the Democrat unveiled a message aimed at assuaging Republican voters in the mostly Republican 3rd District. The district includes all of Lawrence east of Iowa Street and a portion of northwest Lawrence.

“No political party has my vote in their pocket,” he said. “I am a Democrat, but I exercise independent judgment on every issue that comes before Congress.”

Moore said that while he voted with the Democrats on prescription drugs for the elderly, patients’ bill of rights and protecting Social Security, he sided with Republicans on education reform and President Bush’s tax cut package.

“I don’t support Republican or Democratic ideas, I support good ideas,” he said.

Moore, a two-term incumbent, is being challenged by Adam Taff, who narrowly defeated Jeff Colyer in last week’s GOP primary. Taff aligned himself with the moderate wing of the Republican Party; Colyer with the conservative wing.

Neither Colyer nor Taff has held public office before.

Two years ago, Moore defeated conservative Republican Phill Kline, who last week won his party’s nomination for state attorney general.

Moore said he was confident he would pick up enough moderate Republican voters to win the race against Taff.

“People are much less partisan today than they were, say, 25 years ago,” he said.

“The majority  I’m talking 85 percent, roughly  are registered Republican, Democrat or independent, but their primary focus is on the important things in life, things like family, their job and financial security,” he said. “They don’t start thinking about partisan politics until about two weeks before the election.”

Most voters, Moore said, are willing to vote for both Republicans and Democrats.

“If the candidate is someone they know and feel they can trust, they’ll vote for that person, irrespective of their party politics,” he said. “If they don’t, they vote their party.”

Moore, 56, said his record showed he voted according to issues and not party politics.

“Most people respect that, and it’s what they really want,” he said.

The general election is Nov. 5.