Meanwhile, Moran kept his family planted in Kansas, his kids in Hays schools, and his center of gravity has been Hays, Kansas throughout his term. Moran spends way more time in Kansas than Tiahrt, at least over the long term.

A second contrast with Tiahrt is that Moran is a listener, not a talker. Moran schedules "listening tours", and he doesn't say much in terms of opinions. He says he relies on "the wisdom of Kansans" to make his decisions in D.C., and this strategy is not only flattering to voters, but it allows Moran to avoid taking controversial stances back home.

Moran's penchant for being a good listener is why he is ahead of Tiahrt in the polls with both pro-life and pro-choice people, and ahead of Tiahrt on both sides of the gun control issue, etc. Everybody thinks Moran agrees with them. It doesn't matter the issue, everybody thinks Moran is on their side. Moran doesn't lie to anyone about his opinions, he just listens instead of talks.

Moran is amiable. I like Moran, even though he endorsed my opponent in a State Representative race in 2006 that I lost by 43 votes out of 5,777 votes. My friend John Doll is one of the best Congressional candidates the Democrats put up in the First District in years, and he couldn't get people to believe that Moran actually voted the way he did in Congress. On his voting record, people would say,"That can't be, Moran agrees with me!" Moran's fund raising edge is very much tied to his open-minded nature.

Moran's third advantage - in addition to Kansas ties and his personal likability - is the fact that although his First District only makes up for 1/4 of Kansas voters, Republican primary voters in August are generally 1/3 from the First District. People in small towns vote - it's a social activity to many small-towners - and Moran can bet that people in the Big First will be there for him on that hot August primary day.

Tiahrt's decision to live in Virginia instead of Kansas is not unusual at all. In fact, Senator Pat Roberts rents out his Dodge City address, and doesn't even pretend to live in Kansas. Tiahrt does travel back to Wichita each weekend, but there is no doubt that Moran has spent more time back home tilling the fields. Tiahrt can argue that his presence in D.C. has allowed him to become more influential and well-known within D.C., and thus he will be able to deliver when it comes time to pull strings in D.C.

Contrary to the Moran style of listening and not giving opinions, Tiahrt is a crusader. He is a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool-evangelical Christian, and he makes no attempt to conceal who he is or what he believes. The problem with being a crusader is that you make enemies. But I have to admire Tiahrt for being bold, and it is possible that on that primary day in August, that the true believers - those in the evangelical and Catholic churches - will be there for him.

Regarding the fact that the Big First District represents 1/3 of the vote in the Republican primary, Tiahrt's best bet is to get active in every evangelical and Catholic Church in the Big First to convince the true believers that he is the one who will stand up when it counts for values. Kansans for Life is already making robo-calls reminding pro-lifers that their PAC endorses Tiahrt.

In short, Tiahrt wants to change the world, but Moran wants to listen to what the world is trying to say. My guess is that Moran's open-minded nature, his extensive grassroots spade work through the years, and the fact he lives in Kansas will pay off handsomely for him on primary day.

Earlier this year, former State Senator and Great Bend Mayor Lillian Papay passed away. My brother and I were pallbearers. The funeral was scheduled for a difficult time of year - the day after Thanksgiving in Great Bend. Only 50 people showed up. But there in the back of the church, I saw my Congressman, Jerry Moran, there to pay his final respects.