TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer’s campaign chairman is endorsing independent candidate Greg Orman instead of GOP nominee Kris Kobach after Colyer’s narrow primary loss to Kobach.

Orman’s campaign announced Monday that Steve Baccus, a former Kansas Farm Bureau president, will become one of Orman’s campaign co-chairmen. Orman and the Democratic nominee, state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka, are wooing Republican voters alienated by Kobach’s in-your-face conservatism and advocacy of tough immigration policies.

Colyer endorsed Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, after Kobach won the Republican primary by 350 votes out of more than 317,000 cast. Colyer reiterated the endorsement Monday and said Orman’s announcement was the first Colyer and his aides knew of Baccus’ plans.

Orman is a Kansas City-area businessman, and Baccus said Orman is best qualified to improve the state’s economy.

Baccus is an Ottawa County farmer who served 12 years as Farm Bureau president before retiring from the post in 2014. The Farm Bureau endorsed Colyer in the primary.

Kobach said the Baccus endorsement means, “Topeka insiders are sticking together.”

Kelly spokeswoman Johanna Warshaw said the Baccus endorsement shows Orman won’t move Kansas past the past experiment in cutting Kansas income taxes championed by former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback or the budget woes that followed. Colyer was Brownback’s lieutenant governor before Brownback resigned in January to take an ambassador’s post.