Rep. Dennis Moore to announce retirement

Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) is set to announce that he will not seek reelection next year, sources confirmed to The Hill on Monday.

Moore’s exit will pave the way for a tough open-seat defense for Democrats, as the six-term incumbent has resolutely held on to a conservative-leaning district that has often frustrated Republicans.

Moore, 64, won the seat from one-term Rep. Vince Snowbarger (R-Kan.) in 1998 and has been a target ever since. Despite his perseverance, Republicans believed they had an opening again with Democrats pushing proposals that could be unpopular in the deep-red state.

Former state Sen. Nick Jordan, who fell to Moore 56-40 last year but was seen as a good recruit, is among those already eyeing Moore’s seat.

The current field includes former state Rep. Patricia Lightner.

Though the district has been seen as strongly conservative and went by double digits for President George W. Bush, it swung by three points for President Barack Obama in 2008.