Hutchinson ? The chairman of the Reno County Republican Party is now also the president of a conservative group at odds with the state GOP.

Hutchinson businessman Michael Cooper said his goal for the Kansas Republican Assembly was “to see the organization grow and become a more active force in Kansas politics.” He said he would encourage the startup of Kansas Republican Assembly chapters around the state.

“We see ourselves as part of the party in the style of the Reagan conservatives,” he said.

Dennis Jones, the new chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said he did not recognize the Kansas Republican Assembly as a part of the state GOP, in keeping with a stance taken by the party.

Among those who attended the Kansas Republican Assembly banquet Jan. 24 were Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.; Kansas Atty. Gen. Phill Kline; state Rep. Mary Kauffman, R-Hutchinson; and state Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler.