LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Democratic legislator still unknown to some Kansas voters is giving Republican Gov. Sam Brownback a tough re-election race.

State Rep. Paul Davis is tapping into doubts about tax-cutting that cemented Brownback’s reputation in conservative circles.

Davis has lived much of his life within walking distance of the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence. He’s a 42-year-old lawyer and a two-time Democratic National Convention delegate for President Barack Obama.

But Davis is wooing disaffected GOP moderates and promising a bipartisan administration if elected. Making headway in the political middle is crucial for him because only 24 percent of the state’s 1.74 million registered voters are Democrats.

The race so far is a tossup, but Brownback and his allies believe wavering Republicans and unaffiliated voters will move back to his fold.