Topeka ? Sen. Pat Roberts has misgivings about the Kansas Republican Party’s new loyalty committee, worrying that it might hurt the GOP’s image as it tries to attract new voters.

Roberts said Thursday that he doesn’t fault the intentions of party leaders who wanted to form the committee because their goal is to make sure party officers don’t back non-Republicans. But he’s worried that creating the committee is being perceived as an effort to create a loyalty test.

“There are two words that always come to me: One of those is tolerance and one of those is respect,” Roberts said during an interview. “If you’re a party of exclusion, you’re going to have problems.”

The GOP’s state committee amended the party’s constitution last week to create the new committee, whose members will be Chairman Kris Kobach and the chairmen of the four GOP congressional district committees. It won’t be in place until the end of January.

Kobach has said forming such a committee was one of his goals. He said the aim is to keep the party’s officers, such as county chairmen and members of precinct committees, from endorsing or giving money to Democrats.

He and other party leaders have said the committee won’t meet regularly and only when it gets complaints. Also, the committee will deal only with party officers, not voters who register Republican but hold no leadership post.

“It’s a completely reasonable idea,” said Christian Morgan, the state GOP’s executive director. “It just makes sure that party officers who are standing up with the Republican Party flag just back the Republican candidate.”

Roberts acknowledged that he has given plenty of speeches urging unity to Republican groups throughout his political career. But, he said, a party has to show it can build a majority and govern – and the GOP should try to lure Democrats and independents into its fold.

He said he believes the party formed the committee to reassure GOP candidates that they will have solid backing from party leaders, but, he added, “Certainly, that’s not the message gone out.”

“I’m not for litmus tests or loyalty tests, whatever test you want to talk about,” Roberts said.

Morgan said Roberts has valid concerns about how the new committee will be perceived. Morgan said moderate Republicans assume it’s part of an effort to purge them from the party. Meanwhile, some conservatives assume the party is trying to keep moderates in the fold by offering them protection from conservative attacks.

Morgan gave Democrats much of the blame for how the committee is being perceived. He said Democrats are worried that such a committee will keep Republicans from publicly endorsing their candidates.

But Mike Gaughan, the state Democratic Party’s executive director, scoffed at the suggestion. He said Democrats are “staying focused on bringing people together.”

“Loyalty committees and loyalty pledges and things that are designed to drive people away are inconsistent with Democratic values, but it seems par for the course for the Kansas Republican Party these days,” Gaughan said.