National Democrats are supporting Stephene Moore in her quest to replace her husband in the U.S. House.

“We are very pleased that Stephene Moore decided to run for this seat,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “She’s a terrific candidate. She has shown herself to be coming out of the box very quickly.”

Her husband, Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., is retiring from representing the state’s 3rd District, which includes eastern Lawrence and Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

Van Hollen, who spoke on a conference call Monday with Kansas reporters, announced that Stephene Moore’s campaign qualified for the DCCC’s Red to Blue program, aimed at giving Democrats across the country a chance to support her campaign.

Van Hollen did not release specifics but said Stephene Moore’s early fundraising numbers have been “very encouraging.” In a statement Monday, Moore said her campaign has surpassed early fundraising goals.

In the August Democratic primary, she will face Thomas Scherer, a Merriam writer and activist, who switched to the Democratic Party after first running as a Republican.

The Republican nomination race features several candidates, including state House Rep. Kevin Yoder, of Overland Park, who raised about $510,000 through of the end of March.

Van Hollen several times referred to Stephene Moore as a moderate candidate and said the GOP field had grown too conservative.

“Whoever wins the nomination on the Republican side is going to have locked themselves into positions that are out of sync and out of step with the moderate temperament of this district,” he said.

Amanda Adkins, the Kansas GOP chairwoman, said her party’s field is presenting ideas during the economic crisis.

“This stands in stark contrast to the out-of-touch Obama/Pelosi/Parkinson solution that penalizes hard work through more taxation and celebrates government expansion,” she said.