By CARL MANNING

Associated Press

TOPEKA -- Going door to door for votes, Kelly Kultala frequently replayed a cell phone message from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius urging her to run against a fellow Democrat, Sen. Mark Gilstrap.

More than just leaving a message, Sebelius took the rare step of working for the defeat of a legislator from her own party. Kultala unseated the three-term senator with 61 percent of the vote Tuesday, making Gilstrap the only incumbent legislator to lose a primary race this year. Both are from Kansas City, Kan.

Kultala faces Republican Steve Fitzgerald of Leavenworth in the Nov. 4 general election in the 5th District, which covers parts of Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Gilstrap defeated Fitzgerald four years ago by 814 votes out of 25,700 cast.

"I'm not angry, but I'm a little upset the governor took the road that she did," Gilstrap said Wednesday. "I think if she hadn't gotten involved, things would have been different on the outcome."

Sebelius and Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka sent a letter July 3 to unions, lobbyists and political action committees statewide, endorsing Kultala and asking for a $1,000 contribution for her.

Hensley called Gilstrap a Democrat in name only, saying he opposed the governor on health care, education and the environment and endorsed Republican Phill Kline for attorney general in 2006.

Gilstrap said he voted the wishes of his district, where 37 percent of registered voters are Democrats, 33 percent are Republicans and 30 percent are independent.

As for working to elect Kultala, Gilstrap said, "I could support whoever I think is the strongest candidate, and that could be anybody."

Kultala, a former commissioner for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., said she felt she could have defeated Gilstrap on her own but was glad for the extra support.

"It certainly helped to have the governor and the Senate minority leader helping with their endorsement," she said. "We might have been able to win without her involvement, but I'm certainly grateful that she did, and that did help."

Kultala said she hadn't planned to run for Senate, but Hensley persuaded her, and Sebelius left that message on her cell phone.

"I listened to that message over and over to remind me why I was running as I was out walking with the heat index at 100," she said.

Sebelius played down her part in Kultala's victory.

"Kelly Kultala won because the people of Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties agree that she has the right priorities to be a great state senator," Sebelius said in a statement.

Christian Morgan, state GOP executive director, expressed surprise at Gilstrap's defeat.

"We didn't expect a respected senator like Mark Gilstrap to be defeated by a left-wing whacko," Morgan said. "Steve (Fitzgerald) will be able to point out Kelly's shortcomings."

In a statement, Hensley called Kultala "a voice for commonsense solutions" and characterized Fitzgerald as a candidate "whose extreme political views are far outside of the mainstream."

In other Senate races, candidates endorsed by the conservative Kansas Republican Assembly failed to unseat any moderate GOP incumbents. If they survive Democratic challenges in November, moderates will continue to hold sway in the chamber.

"We're cautiously optimistic that we can maintain the high quality of the Senate we have had in the past," said Senate President Steve Morris.

Morris, of Hugoton, says he will seek a second term as Senate president and expects Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt of Independence to remain in that position. Schmidt has no opposition this year.

Republican moderates had one close call, as Sen. Pete Brungardt of Salina beat conservative challenger Tom Arpke with just 51 percent of the vote.

Former Republican Sen. Larry Salmans of Hanston won his primary and faces a rematch with Sen. Janis Lee, a Kensington Democrat who defeated him in 2004 after reapportionment put them in the same district.

Conservative Steve Abrams of Arkansas City is an outgoing State Board of Education member who won his GOP primary for Senate. He now faces Sen. Greta Goodwin, a Winfield Democrat, who's seeking a fourth term.