Since Johnston officially announced her campaign last month, she has received accolades from voters across the aisle, including many Republican women who "like what I am saying and are interested in voting for me," she said.

Johnston has already received a shot from her primary challenger Charles Schollenberger who was quick to point out his perceived disadvantage for Johnston serving in the U.S. Senate as "her lack of political experience."

"It is unfortunate and disappointing to hear other candidates make statements that misrepresent my experience and knowledge base," Johnston responded.

Expanding on her experience in public service she said, "Some people may not realize that colleges and universities have their own governance and legislative processes. At Baker University, we have a Faculty Senate as well as a variety of committees within our governance structure. These committees are charged with examining specific issues and proposing potential changes to existing legislation as well as new legislation for consideration. In my seven years at Baker, in addition to serving on our Faculty Senate, I have served on 23 separate committees, advisory groups, and task force groups and I served as the chairperson for eight of these committees."

Given her record in education, her recent completion of earning a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership at the University of Kansas, 40 year-old Johnston firmly believes that her "education coupled with her experience are directly relevant to the role and responsibilities of a United States Senator."

Asked about policy views, Johnston stated one of her key focal points is "Keeping the economy moving forward and promoting job growth. Job creation is linked to our overall economic conditions. As our economic strength returns, businesses that were forced to implement hiring freezes or layoffs can begin to replenish their workforce. This will allow more Kansans who lost their jobs to get back to work."

On job creation, Johnston stressed the need "to actively encourage businesses to open additional locations in Kansas, which can create a large number of new jobs. Looking out for small businesses is very important as well. We must be sure that new policies do not make it more difficult for small businesses to stay afloat and thrive."

While the wheels are turning in Washington to create a more sustainable energy policy, Johnston shares that goal.

"In addition to shoring up the strength of current businesses and institutions, we must also look for innovative, new opportunities to encourage new businesses and industries in beneficial sectors such as clean energy technology. These new initiatives will not only create new jobs for Kansans but will also have the potential to create substantial improvements to our economic strength because we will no longer be saddled with the skyrocketing cost of purchasing oil," she said.

With recent battles states are facing in funding education, Johnston's other key focal point appears firmly grounded in the importance of education at all levels.

"We must make education a priority given that it is the foundation of our society. At the K-12 level, we need high quality education that promotes student success and shrinks achievement gaps between U.S. students and students from other countries," she said.

With the U.S. education system sinking further in national surveys, Johnston appreciates the importance of higher education, stating, "We need to make college more accessible and affordable for both recent high school graduates who are continuing their education in addition to working adults who want to further their personal and professional development."

Johnston accepts as true, "We need a U.S. Senator who is truly dedicated to working on behalf of the people of Kansas and who can bring a fresh perspective to Washington."

She expressed confidence when relating why she is uniquely qualified for the U.S. Senate.

"I have the leadership, budgetary, and communication skills that are vital for a U.S. Senator. I have experience with legislative process, committee service, and working with a variety of constituent groups.

I have professional experience and expertise in education, which must be a top priority in the years ahead.

I am dedicated to fighting for what is best for Kansans by asking tough questions about current and past practices and bringing new ideas to the table to move us forward in a positive direction," Johnston said.

With the race in Kansas to replace Sen. Sam Brownback who is retiring the U.S. Senate to run for Kansas Governor, two Republican hopefuls have a huge financial advantage, more miles covered throughout the state, and an ever increasing distance in poll numbers that show Rep. Jerry Moran with a lead over Rep. Todd Tiahrt despite a recent ethic probe regarding rent Moran pays to live at a mansion on C-Street in D.C.

When asked how she differs from Moran and Tiahrt on specific policy, Johnston had this to say:

"Congressman Moran has said proudly in his advertising that he voted against all bailouts and stimulus efforts. My understanding is that economic experts were in agreement that the federal government needed to take action or our entire economy would have collapsed and we would have slipped into a second great depression. I find it surprising that someone would have preferred economic collapse to stimulus efforts. While I strongly dislike the fact that we were in this situation and I generally do not like the idea of giving taxpayer money to banks and corporations, sometimes in governing we must take a path that may not be our first choice in order to move forward and find solutions to our problems.

Similarly, Congressman Tiahrt states in one of his ads that President Obama and Speaker of the House Pelosi sold the country a bill of goods, a stimulus plan. I find this statement to be a concern for two reasons.

First, our economic crisis began during President Bush's final term in office. Both Senator McCain and President Obama were called away from campaigning to attend emergency economic strategy meetings with then President Bush.

The initial economic recovery initiatives including TARP were passed during the Bush administration. So while economic stimulus efforts continued after President Obama took office, they began during the Bush administration and were necessary in part due to eight long years of out of control spending. Second, even though some people have concerns about the stimulus efforts, they have begun to move the economy in a more positive direction. There is still work to be done but it is clear that some positive movement has occurred."

In a recent speech given by Moran, his own words were not hashed or taken out of context when he said, "This is not a partisan statement when I talk about too much spending and growth of government...In my opinion, Republican majorities in the House, Senate and a Republican president spent much too much money, borrowed too much money and grew the size of government in ways that we can't afford."