Democrat Stephene Moore will run to succeed her husband, retiring Rep. Dennis Moore (D).

Her decision makes Moore a heavy favorite to win the Aug. 3 primary, though Republicans are targeting the politically competitive district in and around Kansas City.

Tom Erickson, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that Rep. Moore “sold out Kansas families by backing a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care, and there’s no reason to expect that things would be any different with Stephene.”

The district favored President Barack Obama in the 2008 election, and Democrats generally have done well in the centrist suburban district.

Among those running in the Republican primary are former state Sen. Nick Jordan, state Rep. Kevin Yoder and former state Rep. Patricia Lightner.