Kansas Republican Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts are asking the Department of Defense to give Boeing more time to submit its bid for a $40 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract.Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently reopened the bidding process after the Government Accountability Office found problems with the original award to a Boeing competitor. Kansas lawmakers were highly critical of the process. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Boeing could be considering dropping its bid if it doesn’t get more time. The threat to drop out could give Boeing leverage in the request for six more months.In other Kansas congressional news, Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda and her November opponent, Kansas Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, a Republican, are fighting to secure the centrist label in their race, according to a Harris News Service analysis.