Topeka ? With a court challenge to the new congressional districts out of the way, there is little excitement left until the fall for candidates in the 2nd District.

Republican Rep. Jim Ryun is looking to return to Congress for his fourth term, which the former Olympic miler hopes will also bring new duties and clout.

In addition to campaigning for votes, Ryun is buttonholing his colleagues in Washington, hoping to replace Oklahoma’s Rep. J.C. Watts as the No. 4 Republican in the House. Another lawmaker, Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce, is seen as the front-runner, but Ryun says he plans to stay in the race until House Republicans vote after the November election.

First, he will have to defeat Dan Lykins, a Topeka Democrat who has previously run unsuccessfully for attorney general against Carla Stovall in 1998. Neither Ryun nor Lykins faces a primary opponent on Aug. 6.

Also on the Nov. 5 general election ballot is Art Clack, a Libertarian from Manhattan.

Ryun plans for return

Ryun, 55, is confident that he will return to Washington and makes no bones about his desire to see that Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth remain a viable part of the nation’s defense.

Ryun serves on the House Armed Services Committee and said it was important for a unified voice to represent the posts as the next round of base realignments and closures approach. He made that argument repeatedly as legislators at the Statehouse debated new congressional district boundaries.

“Protecting the forts as we get closer to BRAC is always a concern,” he said.

Ryun said he also would like to see Congress streamline its approach to homeland security, as federal agencies make the transition to one seamless department. He added that there were 14 full committees and 25 subcommittees in Congress that have some oversight over homeland security issues.

Ryun’s Democratic challenger emerged just before the July 9 filing deadline. The party had been trying to woo former Rep. Jim Slattery out of retirement to mount a bid against Ryun.

‘Mad as hell’

Lykins has served as the state Democratic Party’s treasurer since 1993. In his law practice, he regularly sues corporations for damages on behalf of consumers and injury victims.

He says he plans to make corporate mismanagement and misbehavior the top issue of his campaign. He says business scandals with Enron and WorldCom show that Congress needs to step in.

“I think we’ve seen the tip of the iceberg right now,” he said. “I am mad as hell, and I’m just not going to put up with these corporations being irresponsible.”

He added: “The corporations of America are not going to like me if I get to Washington. I’m going to be on their butts all the time.”

Lykins says he believes the inclusion of part of Lawrence in the district helps him. He says he believes the city’s residents will worry about Ryun voting often with House GOP leaders like Whip Tom DeLay.

Lykins said if he replaced Ryun, he would work on legislation to prevent conflicts of interest in interlocking corporate boards. He also suggested that any company with a monopoly such as a regulated public utility be required to have a consumer advocate on its board of directors.

“It’s obvious that Jim Ryun has done nothing to curtail all this corporate greed we’re seeing,” he said.