Wichita ? Ken Canfield, author of several books and articles on fathering, jumped Tuesday into the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Canfield came back to the Wichita elementary school he attended as a child to make the announcement in the first stop in a statewide tour that will take him to nine cities over the next two days. The Wichita native lives in Overland Park.

Canfield, 52, founded the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering in 1990. The nonprofit group provides training and support for fathers to become mentors for their children. The program was praised by First Lady Laura Bush during her visit to Kansas City in October.

Canfield has written books and articles on the subject, including “7 Secrets of Effective Fathers” and “The Heart of a Father.”