By STEVE KRASKE and DIANE CARROLL

The Kansas City Star

Phill Kline did some explaining Tuesday.

Even though he promised in December 2006 — and reiterated in September — that he would not seek election to a full term as Johnson County district attorney this year, Kline on Monday reversed course.

On Tuesday, he said his wife’s support opened the door to another campaign. And he thinks he can win.

“We plan to talk directly with voters,” Kline said. “I think Johnson Countians are open-minded, and I think they will be willing to look at what I’ve accomplished.”

As examples, Kline cited his successes before the U.S. Supreme Court on the state’s death penalty while attorney general and his first-degree murder conviction this year of John Henry Horton in the 1974 death of a Prairie Village girl.

The change of heart pleased Kline’s conservative backers.

“I think he will probably be the only candidate who will be willing to pursue the Planned Parenthood case,” said abortion opponent Tim Golba, referring to criminal charges Kline filed last fall.

Still, Kline’s entry landed like a thud in some Republican circles as insiders worried that he could undermine other party candidates. Kline, they noted, lost by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in Johnson County in the 2006 race for attorney general.

“It’s a really bad thing for the Republican Party,” said Andy Wollen, past chair of the moderate Kansas Traditional Republican Majority. “(He) has the unique ability to motivate his political opponents to go vote.”

 Among Republicans who could be affected are Nick Jordan, the 3rd Congressional District GOP candidate, who is expected to face incumbent Dennis Moore in November.

In the Aug. 5 primary, Kline will face fellow Republican Steve Howe, who already has secured endorsements from a host of moderate and conservative Republicans, including U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts. The winner will face Democrat Rick Guinn in November. Both Howe and Guinn are former Johnson County prosecutors.

Many Democrats were determined not to boast publicly about what some called their sudden good fortune.

“He will be a drag on the Republican ticket within Johnson County,” said Bill Roy Jr., chairman of the county’s Democratic Party.

In December 2006, Johnson County precinct committee members narrowly elected Kline, then the Kansas attorney general, to complete the term of Paul Morrison, who had won the attorney general’s job the month before.

The vote completed an unusual job switch with Kline succeeding Morrison as Johnson County district attorney and Morrison succeeding Kline as attorney general.

Tuesday Kline said he didn’t decide to run until Sunday night. That followed a meeting with his wife, Deborah, and his teen-aged daughter, Hillary, as well as a meeting Saturday with supporters.

The former Shawnee state lawmaker said his wife’s support tipped the balance.

“Deb decided it was important that I run,” he said. “She has the same passion that I have” about following the rule of law and protecting the vulnerable.

Kline announced in September he was not going to seek the office because he had a “general fatigue with the constant political drumbeat” when the issues in his office were not political.

His wife was suffering from a neurological illness, he said. At the same time, he was prosecuting the Kelsey Smith murder case, and he knew he would soon be filing criminal charges against Planned Parenthood.

“I wanted to get the politics away from any of these issues,” he said.

Since then, Deborah Kline has been treated for the illness and now is doing well, he said. That alone played a big part in his decision to run.

When he filed Tuesday morning, Kline listed as his residence the address of a Stilwell apartment that he rents. But he said he and his wife, who own a house in Topeka, are negotiating to buy a house in Johnson County.

“We will have a home very, very soon,” he said.

Kline said he has not yet named a campaign staff but expects to shortly.

Tuesday’s announcement propelled several groups into motion. The moderate Mainstream Coalition blasted an e-mail to members seeking contributions: “Nothing can stop Phill Kline’s extremist movement but YOU.”

Meanwhile, Guinn notified his supporters, also seeking help: “We all know what Kline’s announcement will mean: another divisive campaign driven by a politician focused only on his narrow agenda.”

Kline’s critics say he focuses too much on abortion.

Howe, Kline’s primary opponent, said he was not surprised, that Kline decided to run.

Last month, Howe said, GOP leaders asked Kline and him to meet to discuss whether there was a way to avoid a primary fight. “So we did have a meeting at the request of the Republican leaders to get that accomplished and, as you can see, it didn’t work,” Howe said.

Some of Kline’s fellow Republicans noted that he faces an uphill struggle in August. Johnson County GOP chairman Scott Schwab said Kline must explain his residency and why he changed his mind.

 “No question he has negatives,” Schwab said.

Moderate Republicans said Kline’s potential candidacy already had helped them recruit precinct committee hopefuls. That’s the group that elected Kline to fill out Morrison’s term.

Kline’s candidacy almost certainly will spur moderates and independents to turn out in in August, and that could mean trouble for conservatives such as Mary Pilcher Cook and Benjamin Hodge, who are running for state Senate seats.

But conservatives also have a good record of supporting their candidates in primaries, and Kline could benefit from that.

If Kline wins, more trouble for Republicans could follow in November. Candidates such as Jordan, who worked to avoid an intra-party battle, could lose because of a large Democratic turnout against Kline. 

 “It’s really handing (Democrats) a great opportunity on a platter,” said University of Kansas political scientist Burdett Loomis.