From Martin Hawver of Hawver's Capitol Flash:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, for the first time in her six years as Kansas governor, has endorsed a Democratic primary candidate—Kansas City’s Kelly Kultala.

Kultala is opposing three-term incumbent Sen. Mark Gilstrap, D-Kansas City, in the 5th Senate District primary election.

The letter proposes a campaign contribution to Kultala for State Senate of $1,000.

Rarely in Kansas politics has a political party leader chosen up sides in a primary election, and Sebelius has never formally and publicly made a campaign endorsement in a contested Democratic primary.

Gilstrap, a reliably anti-abortion vote in the Senate, is politically most remembered for co-founding “Democrats for (Phill) Kline” two years ago, when Kline was unsuccessfully seeking reelection to a second term as Kansas attorney general.

Gilstrap narrowly—51% to 49%--defeated Leavenworth Republican Steve Fitzgerald in 2004. Fitzgerald is running again as the uncontested Republican nominee for the seat.