Topeka ? Stephene Moore, the wife of retiring U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., announced today that she will try to succeed her husband as the 3rd District representative.

“As a registered nurse, I am trained to act quickly and calmly in urgent situations to help diagnose and treat patients, and in Congress I will follow these same principals to ensure Kansas remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” Moore said in a news release announcing her candidacy.

“I will be a voice of reason who puts Kansas families ahead of partisanship, because it shouldn’t matter if an idea is a Democratic idea or a Republican idea, what is important is if it is a good idea for Kansas,” she said.

The 3rd District includes east Lawrence, and all of Johnson and Wyandotte counties. The Moores live in Lenexa.

Dennis Moore, who first was elected to Congress in 1998, announced last year that he would not seek re-election.