Last Wednesday was no exception for Boyda, who again will challenge Republican incumbent Jim Ryun for the U.S. Congressional seat in Kansas’ 2nd District.

“We absolutely love to do county fairing and parading,” Boyda said. “It’s been miserably hot, but I tell people I can stand the heat, so I’m going to stay in the kitchen, and they smile.

“I also tell them I plan to work this hard when I get to Congress.”

Boyda, a Democrat, hopes to unseat Ryun, who will be seeking his sixth Congressional term in November.

A Topeka resident who is a graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., Boyda said she likes functions such as fairs and parades because they provide a more up-close venue to discuss issues with citizens.

“I certainly enjoy it,” Boyda said. “I hear what’s going on in lives of Kansans and what their concerns are for their families and businesses, and that’s what this is all about.”

In 2004, Ryun garnered more than 165,000 votes as the GOP incumbent, while Boyda earned more than 121,500 votes. Ryun won the election with roughly 56 percent of the votes to Boyda’s 41 percent, while Libertarian Dennis Hawver claimed 2.5 percent.

Boyda said she’s ready for another chance to challenge Ryun for the U.S. House seat.

“Gas prices are going up and real wages are going down,” Boyda said. “The country’s headed in the wrong direction. The things that I was concerned about two years ago not only haven’t been addressed, but they’re getting worse.

“This has been a do-nothing congress and Jim Ryun’s been a do-nothing congressman.”

Boyda said she’s concerned about issues such as gasoline, health care and immigration. And, she said, some lobbyists have too much control over Congress.

“The underlying message of the campaign is that big money doesn’t influence Congress, it absolutely controls it,” Boyda said.

She also stressed “big money, not big business” was the problem.

“Billion-dollar lobbyists that do not have Kansas’ best interests at heart,” Boyda said.

When it comes to gasoline, Boyda said the United States needs to be more aggressive in researching biofuels, such as hydrogen, wind and ethanol. She said China, for example, is working to use wind and hydrogen, while some countries are “moving forward with safe nuclear technologies.”

“Gas prices are really hurting our businesses, certainly our farmers and our families,” Boyda said. “The oil and gas companies have set energy policies for years and have put our country into a corner.”

Boyda said she “will not and has not” taken campaign contributions from oil companies. She said Ryun has taken roughly $120,000 in contributions from oil lobbyists.

For the past 20 years, Boyda has held management positions for various pharmaceutical companies, expertise she said would be vital in tackling health care.

“We must, Congress must, put together a plan, an implementation plan, so that our families and businesses can plan for the future,” Boyda said.

During her interview with The Mirror, Boyda stressed she didn’t favor socialized health care.

“In the past, he’s tried to scare Kansans and say that I’m for socialized medicine, which is not the case,” Boyda said about Ryun’s comments. “But he’s never told us what he’s for. And we need leadership.”

One of the hotter topics as of late nationally has been immigration.

Boyda said that when she ran against Ryun the first time, she was clear on the issue.

“Two years ago, I took a strong stance on immigration because the working men and women who supported me demanded to know where I stood on that issue,” Boyda said. “I said as I say today that we must control and protect our borders and we must enforce our laws.”

Again, Boyda was critical of Ryun’s stance on the issue, saying that he suddenly is making it a top priority.

“It’s interesting that for nine years, we haven’t heard a word about it,” Boyda said.

The 2nd District covers 25 counties in northeast and southeast Kansas, including Leavenworth, Jefferson and northwest portions of Douglas.

Boyda and Ryun will meet in the general election Nov. 7.