photo by: Associated Press

In this file photo from March 2012, former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, R-Kansas, is pictured at a ceremony in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

TOPEKA — Republican Nancy Kassebaum, a former U.S. senator from Kansas, has formally endorsed Democrat Laura Kelly for governor.

“Laura Kelly studies the issues and is willing to work with others for solutions to real problems,” Kassebaum said in a statement released Tuesday by the Kelly campaign. “Her competence, understanding, and dedication are leadership qualities that Kansas needs at this time. I encourage all Kansans to join me in supporting Laura Kelly for governor.”

Kassebaum, 86, served in the U.S. Senate for three terms, from December 1978 to January 1997. She was the first woman ever elected to the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress. She is also the daughter of former Gov. Alf Landon, who was the Republican nominee for president in 1936.

Kassebaum is the second high-profile former officeholder in the Republican Party to endorse Kelly. Former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves announced his endorsement earlier this month.

Kelly faces Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach and independent candidate Greg Orman in the Nov. 6 general election. The most recent poll shows Kelly and Kobach in a virtual dead heat, with Orman trailing in a distant third place.

photo by: Associated Press

Kansas state Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, speaks to reporters outside her home polling place after voting in the Democratic primary, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)