Ryun says he’ll go back on campaign trail ‘full time’

Here are today’s headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Boyda-Ryun(National Journal) Ryun To Run Again:Former Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., confirmed this afternoon he would run again for Congress next year, and picked up early encouragement for his comeback attempt but he still faces the possibility of a strong primary challenge. Ryun — who lost a re-election bid last November to now-Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda — said in an interview that he had been mulling another run for the House, but wanted to wait until the state GOP’s annual Kansas Days gathering this past weekend to gauge support and reveal his intentions. “I needed time to reflect on the last election and see what kind of support I had,” Ryun said. After holding the seat since 1996 Ryun – a onetime Olympic runner — lost the state’s 2nd District to Boyda by a 51-47 percent margin last year. Ryun said he would soon be back on the campaign trail “full time,” and described his defeat as an election anomaly in a bad political year for Republicans. “There was a surge that came through,” he said. “I was on the wrong corner (at) the wrong time.” Ryun, a social and fiscal conservative, demurred on the question of possible primary opposition; state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins is mulling the race. Ryun instead trained his rhetorical fire on Boyda, whom he said does not represent the “Kansas values.” Declared Ryun: “She’s not a conservative. She’s a liberal.”(LJWorld.com) GOP hopes to reclaim 2nd Congressional District seat: U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat, has been in office less than one month, but potential Republican opponents in 2008 are starting to angle for a shot at making her a one-term congresswoman. GOP festivities last weekend for Kansas Day propelled the names of two possible challengers: Jim Ryun, the five-term congressman that Boyda upset in November, and State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, who just won a second four-year term. … In November, Boyda defeated Ryun 51 percent to 47 percent. “That is an extremely narrow margin in a year that Democrats did exceptionally well. Ms. Boyda is not going to have much of a margin to play with,” (GOP Chair Kris)Kobach said. Ryun, of Lawrence, could not be reached for comment. … Boyda said she didn’t want to speculate on the Republican jockeying. “I was just sworn into office three weeks ago, and I’m focusing on serving my constituents,” she said.Rep. Jerry Moran (R) !(Hutch News) Moran visits with thousands in tele-town hall: It wasn’t a telemarketer making dinnertime calls Monday night, but U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays. He was ringing tens of thousands of Kansans asking their opinion on the war in Iraq and listening to their concerns on current issues. Sitting at his desk in Washington, it was Moran’s second tele-town hall in several weeks. He admitted it wasn’t the personal contact he preferred, but the next best thing to meeting constituents when he’s out of the state. Over the phone Moran told about 30,000 households from Sabetha to Goodland to Elkhart and Liberal, all in the “Big First District,” that he was in Washington, D.C., trying out new technology that would keep him in tune to what Kansans were thinking. Even if people didn’t want to sound off on an issue, Moran specifically wanted to find out how they felt about President Bush’s plan to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq.