Topeka ? Anti-abortion advocates are hoping to regain control of the foundation of the Kansas Republican Party by winning contests at the precinct level in the August GOP primary.

“In the end, we hope to shape the political landscape in Kansas,” said Mark Gietzen, director of the Wichita-based Kansas Coalition for Life.

He said polling data showed that Kansans were “moving toward a pro-life viewpoint” but that position was not reflected in the makeup of GOP precinct officials.

He said there was an abortion-rights majority of Republican precinct committeemen and committeewomen in three of the four congressional districts; an anti-abortion majority exists only in the 4th District, which includes Wichita. Lawrence is divided between the 2nd and 3rd congressional districts.

In the mid-1990s, anti-abortion activists were in charge of the Kansas GOP down to the precinct level, but Gietzen credits abortion-rights Republicans with working hard to reverse that situation.

Now, Gietzen is trying to re-energize abortion opponents and has planned a signature ad that will run in some newspapers later this month.

Those who sign the ad pledge to support only political candidates “who respect and value all human life, from fertilization to natural death.”

Those who sign the pledge must pay $7 to the Kansas Coalition for Life.

Gietzen says the ad rounds up a pool of potential precinct candidates, raises money for the coalition and increase awareness about abortion.

Kansas Republican Party officials said they weren’t happy with Gietzen’s effort.

“I guess we can’t stop them,” said GOP executive director Scott Poor. “I hate to see our precinct organization just become a referendum on abortion. The Republican Party is a lot more than a one-issue party.”

Kansas’ GOP National Committeeman, Steve Cloud, of Lenexa, agreed.

“The issue is not abortion per se; a lot of our moderate groups support pro-life candidates. The issue is whether or not that candidate is just a pro-life candidate. Kansas Coalition for Life never met a pro-life candidate that they didn’t like, regardless of qualifications,” he said.

But Gietzen said the recent ban on so-called partial-birth abortions signified a shift in public opinion, and the shift should be reflected in the precinct chairs.

“Everything is moving our way, in terms of public opinion,” he said.