A gay candidate's run will determine whether conservatives can engineer a 5-to-5 split on the State Board of Education.

That's the best possible result conservative Republicans can get from this year's election. A bloc of Democrats and moderate Republicans has a 6-to-4 majority now.

In today's election, three conservative and two moderate Republicans are on the ballot, all facing Democratic challengers.

The most notable race is in the 6th District. The seat is now held by Republican Kathy Martin, of Clay Center. She's the only incumbent conservative seeking re-election.

Her opponent is Democrat Christopher Renner, of Manhattan, who's gay. He's never hidden it, but a Martin supporter made it an issue last week.