Topeka ? Former House Speaker Robin Jennison planned to kick off his run for governor with four rallies today, and a Johnson County attorney has joined the campaign for the Republican nomination.

Jennison said in August that he would run, and he is among six candidates seeking the right to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in the Nov. 7 general election. Jennison scheduled a rally at the Statehouse and appearances in Lawrence, Olathe and Pittsburg.

Already campaigning is Timothy Pickell, a Prairie Village attorney, who distributed literature at the party’s annual Kansas Day festivities in Topeka during the weekend.

Other major candidates are Sen. Jim Barnett, an Emporia physician, and Ken Canfield, a writer and founder of the National Center for Fathering, which provides support for fathers to become mentors for their children.

Also on the ballot are Dennis Hawver, an Ozawkie attorney who was the Libertarian nominee for governor in 2002, and Richard Rodewald, a retired automotive engineer from Lawrence and perennial candidate for state and federal offices.

GOP Chairman Tim Shallenburger said the race is attracting candidates because people believe Sebelius is vulnerable.

He also said that having a contested primary would be helpful in creating name recognition for the eventual nominee – provided the campaign before the Aug. 1 election isn’t too nasty.

Robin Jennison, GOP candidate for governor and former speaker of the House, campaigns Tuesday on a stop in Lawrence, one of fifteen state visits.

“We want it to be interesting enough that people are watching, but not interesting like a car wreck,” Shallenburger said Monday.

Political analysts have not considered the governor’s race competitive, despite Kansas’ Republican heritage and the sizable advantage the GOP enjoys among registered voters. Sebelius entered this year with $1.75 million in campaign funds, and she successfully wooed moderate Republicans in 2002.

Pickell described himself in his literature as a pragmatist who will work to unify Republicans. The 53-year-old is a past president of the Johnson County Bar Assn. and was a delegate to the 1984 GOP National Convention in Dallas.