Some of Lawrence’s youngest potential voters got a chance Tuesday to quiz congressional candidate Kris Kobach.

About 200 Free State High School seniors, half of them registered to vote, gathered in the school’s gymnasium to hear the Republican candidate who hopes to unseat 3rd District Congressman Dennis Moore, a Lenexa Democrat, on Nov. 2. The 3rd District includes east Lawrence.

Kris Kobach, the Republican nominee for the state's 3rd Congressional District, speaks to an American government class at Free State High School. Social studies teacher Jason Pendleton has extended invitations to several candidates to speak to the class. Kobach was at FSHS on Tuesday.

“Those of you who live in the 3rd District are actually right in the middle of one of the biggest congressional fights in the country and the closest congressional fights in the country,” Kobach told the students. “It’s actually pretty exciting.”

Kobach mostly talked about homeland security. But he did say he’d like Congress to roll back federal mandates affecting public schools when a student asked about his position.

“Let us spend the money in Kansas and spent by the people who know your names, not the Department of Education,” Kobach said.

But his pitch wasn’t wholly persuasive to at least one student.

“I don’t know if removing the mandates will help,” Matt Orzulak said.

Given a chance to question the candidate, students seemed most interested in his stance on health-care issues.

Kobach told the students medical costs were skyrocketing because of lawsuits. He also said he disagreed with having a national health care system similar to Canada’s, a so-called universal system that offers coverage to all Canadians. Instead, he said he supported a plan to allow health savings accounts. People likely will be more conscientious about how much money is being spent for health care if it comes out of their own accounts, he said.

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Julie McGinn, 18, a Republican, said she didn’t need to hear what Kobach had to say Tuesday for him to get her support.

“I agree with his points of view,” she said, holding a Kobach bumper sticker. “But I don’t think I can vote for him. I don’t think I’m in his district.”

Social studies teacher Jason Pendleton said Moore would be at the school Oct. 27 or 28.