Democratic congressional candidate Jim Sherow accepted Tuesday the endorsement of a moderate Republican organization and denounced incumbent U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp's failure to represent Kansas agriculture.

Sherow sharply condemned conduct of Huelskamp that led to the U.S. House leadership's decision to strip the 1st District representative of his seat on the agriculture committee. It was the first time in more than a century that Kansas hadn't had a member on the panel devoted to federal farm issues.

"It is time for serious leadership in our congressional district," said Sherow, a former Manhattan mayor. "Our district, the third largest agricultural economy in the country, has lost all meaningful representation in Congress."

In December 2012, Huelskamp and three other Republicans were stripped of key committee assignments by the House steering committee, which was controlled by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

The Kansas congressman, who was first elected to the House in 2010 and is seeking a third term, lost positions on the budget and agriculture committees. The move appeared to be retribution for a vote by Huelskamp that wasn’t appreciated by GOP leaders.

Huelskamp campaign spokesman Mark Kelly said Sherow was engaging in "political theater" while the congressman was attending a hearing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., regarding the federal government's listing in May of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Kelly's statement said Huelskamp also expected to vote on a bill tied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's interpretation of the Clean Water Act.

"These are the types of issues he works on every day," Kelly said, "and will continue to do so."

The Huelskamp campaign didn't address criticism by Traditional Republicans for Common Sense and Sherow of the congressman's absence from the agriculture committee.

The 1st District covers the western two-thirds of the state and includes more than 60 counties stretching from the Colorado line to Emporia. The district's population is largely rural and Republican.

During a news conference at the Kansas Capitol, members of Traditional Republicans for Common Sense announced the TRCS board's endorsement of Sherow.

"This particular individual is top-notch," said former state Sen. Lana Oleen, a Manhattan Republican. "I know this man well."

The organization of former state House and Senate legislators previously sided with independent U.S. Senate candidate Greg Orman rather than incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican. Democrat Chad Taylor is attempting to withdraw from that campaign. Previously, Sherow endorsed Orman.