Topeka ? Kansas Board of Regents Chairman Clay Blair said Tuesday that he may enter the Republican Party primary race for governor.

Blair, 58, of Olathe, said he will announce his decision after the legislative session ends. How lawmakers treat education will be his determining factor, he said.

“Education is my No. 1 concern. Someone has to be a champion for education,” Blair said.

Lawmakers start an overtime session today facing a $700 million shortfall in a $4.4 billion budget. Public schools and higher education would receive no funding increase under a proposed spending plan adopted by a House-Senate conference committee.

Blair said additional funds are needed for education, but he declined to say whether he would support a tax increase for schools.

“I think I’ll let the Legislature play out their card,” he said.

If Blair entered the race, he would face State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger, Wichita Mayor Bob Knight and Dan Bloom, a former Eudora school administrator, in a political sprint toward the Aug. 6 primary. State Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius is the only announced candidate on the Democratic side.

No word from Glasscock

House Speaker Kent Glasscock, R-Manhattan, said two weeks ago that he was definitely getting back into the race. Now, he is a definite maybe.

Glasscock was an announced candidate for governor, then stepped aside to run as lieutenant governor, second on the ticket to Atty. Gen. Carla Stovall. Stovall then dropped out of the race, saying she didn’t want the job. That prompted Glasscock to announce he was going to get back in the governor’s race.

But Glasscock underwent a balloon angioplasty on April 18. Since then he has declined to say whether he will run.

Asked when Glasscock would make an announcement, his spokesman Scott Holeman said Tuesday, “I don’t expect it anytime soon. Expect it when you hear from us.”

Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, also has said he was considering running for governor and would make a decision at the end of the session. He could not be reached for comment.

Blair seen as moderate

Blair, owner of a development company, said if he ran he would try to get votes from the moderate and conservative wings of the GOP.

“I think I’d be moderate on some issues and conservative on others. I want a lean-and-mean government, but as a businessman you have to make strategic investments in the state’s future, and that is technology and education,” he said.

But Blair is generally perceived as a moderate. On abortion an issue that generally separates GOP moderates from conservatives Blair said he was pro-choice.

Shallenburger, who opposes abortion and tax increases, has the support of key Kansas conservatives, including U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback. Knight is not well-aligned with either of the GOP’s main factions. Bloom is a political unknown never before elected to major office.

Gathering GOP support

As chairman of the state’s higher education board, Blair has been the chief proponent of several pieces of legislation before lawmakers. The major one this session would authorize the state to issue bonds to help build research facilities at Kansas University, Kansas State University and Wichita State University. The bill has been approved by a conference committee.

Blair already has support from some longtime GOP activists.

“I’m encouraging him and others are to run for governor and locate his campaign headquarters in Lawrence,” said Nelson Krueger, a Lawrence resident and a former aide to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole. “I think he’s getting closer (to deciding). We had a nice visit last week in my home, and he seems to have a lot of ideas how to get people working together behind projects.”

Krueger said various individuals have pledged to help raise money for a Blair campaign. That would allow Blair to mount a credible campaign against candidates who started before him, Krueger said, noting some Wichita business people have pledged to raise $300,000 to help a Blair candidacy.

Krueger said he and other former Dole staffers and consultants would likely play some part in a Blair campaign, including Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies of Washington, D.C. The firm, which Newhouse co-founded, claims it is the largest Republican polling firm in the nation. Newhouse is a Kansas City native.