KANSAS: “Backed by a waterfall of dollars from political action committees and other outside groups, conservative Republican senate candidates won all but a few key races over Republicans who were labeled more moderate during bruising campaigns,” the Wichita Eagle writes. “The victories will likely pave the way for Gov. Sam Brownback’s agenda for at least the next two years, although general election challenges by Democrats could change that.”

More: “Statewide, nine incumbent Republican senators, including Senate President Steve Morris, were poised to lose their positions as an onslaught of conservative challengers with strong backing from the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and other political groups won over the relative modest percent of voters who turned out to vote.”

What’s behind what happened: “Republicans have long dominated state politics, but in 2010, limited government candidates aligned more with tea party ideals than traditional Republican thinking, took over most of state government, led by Gov. Sam Brownback. Brownback made cutting taxes, shrinking government and privatizing services for the poor and disabled the cornerstone of his agenda. He has consistent support from the House, where Republicans hold a powerful 92-33 majority. But his plans have met resistance in the Senate, where Democrats and moderate Republicans formed a majority to block some of the most aggressive parts of Brownback’s agenda.”

And: “Koch Industries gave $125,000 to the Kansas Chamber of Commerce PAC, which announced support for Brownback-aligned conservative candidates late last year and gave hundreds of thousands to conservative candidates who sought to defeat incumbent Republican senators. Koch gave another $20,000 to the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce PAC, fueling similar ads aimed at knocking out incumbent Republicans the Chamber once supported. Wichita oilman and Brownback supporter David Murfin gave $80,000 to the state chamber to help pay for ads attacking incumbent Republican senators.”

MISSOURI: “St. Louis area U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a staunch conservative who refused to attack his opponents, on Tuesday won Missouri’s Republican U.S. Senate nomination,” the Kansas City Star writes. “He’ll face Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill in November in a race that will offer Missourians a sharp contrast between a six-term congressman who has said he’s committed to sharply cutting the federal budget and a Democrat determined to maintain a basic safety net for most Americans.”

And this happened… “Missouri voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment that supporters said will protect religious freedom,” the Kansas City Star reports. “The measure — Amendment 2 — says Missourians’ right to express religious beliefs can’t be infringed. It protects voluntary prayer in schools and requires public schools to display a copy of the Bill of Rights. With all but two precincts statewide counted, 779,628 voted yes on the measure and 162,404 voted no, roughly a 5-1 margin. Many supporters referred to the measure as the ‘Right to Pray’ amendment.”

TOPEKA, Kansas -- As he aims to frame the GOP nominating contest as a "two-man race," an aggressive Rick Santorum on Friday attacked rival Mitt Romney as untrustworthy and politically moderate at his core.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we already have one president who doesn’t tell the truth to the American people," he told a crowd of about 250 supporters at a railroad station-turned-museum in Topeka.  "We don’t need another nominated by our party to do the same."

Santorum, seeking a strong showing in upcoming Southern primary contests, accused Romney of planning a swift move away from conservative principles if he wins the nomination.

"The Romney campaign can’t wait to get out of this primary," he said. "Guess why? They can start tacking to the middle now, start getting back in the comfort zone."

In his critique, Santorum zeroed in on Romney's backing of mandated health care coverage during his tenure as Massachusetts governor. Romney says he never advocated for such a requirement on a national level, while Santorum pointed to several recently uncovered video clips as evidence to the contrary.

"Washington insider Rick Santorum is lashing out at Mitt Romney because he can’t accept the fact that it’s nearly impossible for him to win the number of delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul responded, pointing out Santorum's statement in a recent debate that he "took one for the team" in helping pass bipartisan legislation. "This is yet another case of Sen. Santorum abandoning principle for his own political advantage."

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback made an appearance at the Topeka rally, standing in the back of the audience clad in a sweater vest - a garment frequently worn by the presidential hopeful. Brownback told reporters that his presence was no endorsement but was merely intended to show support for the GOP candidates appearing in the state; he also made a stop at an event held by Ron Paul earlier in the day.

Despite a strong performance expected in this weekend's caucuses in Kansas, Santorum's path to victory over Romney remains hazy. 

But Santorum was cheery about that possibility on Friday.

"You know the other day Governor Romney was going through the math of all the delegates and said it would take an act of God for Rick Santorum to get all of the delegates he would need," he said. "Well, I don’t know about him, but I believe in acts of God."