TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) jumped into the 2008 presidential race Saturday, a favorite of the religious right now in an uphill battle against better known rivals for the GOP nomination.
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"I am a conservative and I'm proud of being a conservative," he proclaimed.

"My family and I are taking the first steps on the yellow brick road to the White House. It's a great journey," the two-term senator told hundreds of supporters. He pledged to fight on behalf of the nation's cultural values and to focus on rebuilding families.

The 50-year-old Brownback offers himself as a "full-scale Ronald Reagan conservative."

After Saturday's speech, he told reporters: "My positions are at the heart of where the Republican Party is. I'm willing to take those positions with all comers."

Brownback's announcement, planned weeks ago, came hours after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., entered her party's 2008 race with a posting on her Web site with little prior notice.

"I don't know why she did that. I guess she's scared of me," Brownback said.


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