After contentious primary contests statewide, Republicans met here Wednesday for a show of unity — though they were still unsure whom to unite behind in the 3rd Congressional District race.

“Although this race is not over, it is time to unite,” Kansas GOP Chairman Dennis Jones said at the rally at the Marriott Hotel. “We must stand shoulder to shoulder.”

In the final tally from Tuesday’s Republican primary, law professor Kris Kobach led former Navy jet-fighter pilot Adam Taff by 87 votes out of more than 86,000 ballots cast in the 3rd District, which includes eastern Lawrence and Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

With a few thousand provisional ballots not yet counted, the results remained up in the air and may not be known for days, officials said.

Kobach and Taff both pledged to back whomever came out on top in the GOP’s quest to topple Democratic incumbent Dennis Moore, who is seeking his fourth term.

The two candidates, who engaged in a bruising and often negative campaign, shook hands and shared the same stage but appeared formal with each other.

Kobach said if his supporters and Taff supporters joined, “We will have a force so overwhelming, Dennis Moore won’t know what hit him.”

Many in the crowd wore Kobach and Taff stickers and waved signs with Kobach on one side and Taff on the other.

Steve Cloud, Republican national committeeman, said a quick resolution of the election was needed so Republicans could start the campaign against Moore.

But Kobach and Taff declined to commit not to ask for a time-consuming recount once the provisional ballots are tallied.

Secretary of state spokesman Jesse Borjon said there were approximately 3,700 provisional ballots cast in the 3rd District but wasn’t sure how many of those were in the Republican Party primary. A provisional ballot is cast when there is a question about the voter’s eligibility.

Republicans Adam Taff, left, and Kris Kobach shake hands during a GOP unity rally Wednesday in Overland Park. Sen. Sam Brownback applauds at center.

Douglas and Wyandotte county officials will determine the eligibility of provisional ballots Friday, while Johnson County officials will canvass ballots on Monday. Borjon said there were 120 provisional ballots in Douglas County, but county officials said the number was closer to 200.

If either Kobach or Taff requests a recount after the provisional ballots are sorted, the secretary of state has until Aug. 16 to complete the recount.

During the rally, numerous speakers took turns bashing Moore, but the incumbent declined to return fire on the specific charges, saying he would wait until a declared candidate was confirmed.

“I’ll run against whoever gets the nomination,” he said, adding that he would focus on education, health care and national security in his campaign.

Updated figures of the final unofficial tally posted Wednesday afternoon by the secretary of state showed Kobach with 38,124 votes and Taff with 38,037, giving both candidates 44 percent. State Rep. Patricia Lightner captured the remaining 12 percent, or 10,629 votes, according to the tally.

6News video: Kobach, Taff undecided Kobach, Taff too close to call (8-4-04) Unofficial primary election results Photo gallery: Primary election night Candidate chats (Lightner and Kobach) More election stories and primary election voters’ guide

Moore was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. In 2002, he defeated Taff in the general election with 50 percent of the vote.

If Kobach’s margin holds, it signals a turn to the right in the conservative vs. moderate GOP wars. Kobach wore the conservative mantle during the campaign; Taff the moderate.

In legislative and State Board of Education races across the state, so-called conservative Republicans held the upper hand in contests seasoned with anti-tax, anti-gay and even anti-Kansas University rhetoric.

Conservative state Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, easily defeated moderate Republican Bob Knight, a former mayor with high name recognition.

During the campaign, Wagle cited as one of her major accomplishments her allegations that a KU professor showed pornographic films and made inappropriate comments during his human sexuality course. KU investigated the allegations and said they were groundless.

Two House members who during the last legislative session proposed a tax increase for schools were defeated. State Rep. Bill Kassebaum of Burdick was ousted by Shari Weber of Herington, and Cindy Neighbor was defeated by Mary Pilcher Cook in a Johnson County contest. Two years ago, Kassebaum had defeated Weber, then the incumbent, and Neighbor had defeated Cook, then the incumbent.

House Speaker Pro Tem John Ballou of Gardner was defeated by Mike Kiegerl in a race that highlighted Ballou’s vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

And in two State Board of Education primaries, conservative candidates won.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, said the results didn’t surprise him.

“The state has been trending conservative for at least the last 10 years … and I think you saw that trend continue last night,” he said.

In addition, the anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity helped nine legislators to victory.

“We are pleased that the voters of Kansas chose nine of these nine principled lawmakers in their primaries,” said Alan Cobb, executive director of the group’s local chapter.