Topeka ? In what might be the most closely watched race on today’s election calendar, Adam Taff hopes to qualify for a rematch against Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore in the state’s 3rd Congressional District.

But Taff, the GOP’s nominee in 2002, must first beat Kris Kobach, a former U.S. Justice Department official, and state Rep. Patricia Lightner, in today’s party primary. Meanwhile, Moore is unopposed for renomination to a fourth term.

The 3rd District GOP primary attracted attention because of its competitiveness: A poll in mid-July suggested more than a third of Republicans were undecided. The district covers Johnson and Wyandotte counties and part of Douglas County, including eastern Lawrence.

However, there are also contested primaries for the U.S. Senate, dozens of legislative contests and two State Board of Education races.

Polls open at 7 a.m. today across the state, and Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh predicts 430,000 Kansans, or about 27 percent of those eligible, will cast ballots.

“We have some great local races and some great state races,” Thornburgh said Monday.

The two parties will have different rules for their primaries. Unaffiliated voters will be permitted to cast ballots in Democratic races. But to vote in GOP contests, unaffiliated voters must declare themselves Republicans at the polls.

In the 3rd District, Taff continued campaigning after his close loss to Moore in the 2002 general election. A former Navy pilot from Lake Quivira, he argues his military experience would be important in Congress.

But Kobach stresses his past work at the Justice Department and portrays himself as the race’s conservative candidate, arguing a conservative will do better against Moore. Lightner has said she is between the two candidates ideologically and touts her six years as a legislator in Topeka.

Candidate information, map, stories Candidate chats (Lightner and Kobach) More election stories and primary election voters’ guide

Sen. Sam Brownback is seeking a second six-year term and Republicans generally expect him to easily win his race with Lawrence businessman Arch Naramore. On the Democratic side, Lee Jones, a railroad engineer from Lenexa, squares off against Robert Conroy, a retired railroad engineer from Shawnee who has done little campaigning.

On Monday, former Kansas Transportation Secretary Horace Edwards filed petitions with the secretary of state’s office, hoping to get his name on the November ballot as an independent Senate candidate.

The only other congressional primary is in the 4th District, where Michael Kinard, the president of the Wichita Board of Education, faces Marty Mork, a warehouse worker for a feed company, for the right to challenge Republican incumbent Todd Tiahrt in the Nov. 2 general election.

Legislature, board of ed

There are 22 contested primaries for state Senate seats and 40 for House seats. A dozen incumbent senators and 27 incumbent House members face challenges.

Most are GOP contests, showcasing disputes between the party’s conservative and moderate wings.

“Philosophically, it could pull both houses one way or the other,” said House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka.

The same is true for the State Board of Education, now split 5-5 between a bloc of conservative Republicans and a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans.

In one GOP primary, a moderate incumbent, Bruce Wyatt, of Salina, faces Kathy Martin, of Clay Center, a retired school teacher who argues that both creationism and evolution should be taught in science classes. In another, conservative Steve Abrams, of Arkansas City, is challenging Tim Aiken, a longtime member of the Derby school board.