Topeka ? A lawyer who was the Libertarian candidate for governor three years ago will seek the Republican nomination next year on a platform that includes lowering the state’s legal beer-drinking age to 18.

Dennis Hawver, of Ozawkie, also promised to give up the office in May 2008, when he turns 65, so that he can sail the South Pacific. He said the GOP has strayed from its roots by focusing on social issues such as abortion rather than shrinking government.

Hawver announced his plans Friday and paid a $1,816 filing fee to guarantee himself a spot on the August 2006 primary ballot.

“I simply want to attempt to bring common sense back to the Republican Party, instead of pandering on all this social nonsense,” Hawver said during an interview. “Our approach is small government – self-government.”

Hawver said he advocates cutting state government – which has a total annual budget of $11.3 billion – in half, lowering taxes accordingly.

He also wants to allow 18, 19 and 20-year-olds to drink so-called “weak beer,” or “cereal malt beverage,” as Kansas law calls it. The legal age for all beer and liquor has been 21 since the 1980s, when the federal government pressured states into raising their minimums.

He said: “If 18-year-olds can vote in elections and fight in Iraq, they certainly should be able to drink a beer without fear of arrest.”

Hawver joins House Speaker Doug Mays, of Topeka, in the GOP race for the right to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in the general election. Also filing earlier this month was Richard Rodewald, a retired automotive engineer from Lawrence who has been a perennial candidate for state and federal office.

Mays said he welcomed Hawver to the race.

“The more the merrier,” Mays said. “Dennis has always had some unique insights into the political process, and I have appreciated his past participation.”

As the Libertarian gubernatorial nominee in 2002, Hawver received about 1 percent of the vote – a strong showing for that party.

He was the Libertarian nominee in 2nd Congressional District in 2000 and 2004, each time receiving about 3 percent of the vote.