Former airline pilot Adam Taff (R) is circulating a poll showing him with a commanding lead in the Aug. 3 Republican primary in the 3rd district.

Taff received 52 percent compared to 14 percent for former Justice Department official Kris Kobach and 4 percent for state Rep. Patricia Barbieri-Lightner in the Winston Group survey. The poll was in the field April 26 and 27, testing 400 registered voters with a 4.9 percent margin of error.

Taff’s lead is due in large part to name identification built up from his 2002 campaign when he pulled an upset in the Republican primary but went on to lose to Rep. Dennis Moore (D) 50 percent to 47 percent in the fall.

In his poll, Taff was known by 84 percent of those tested with 59 percent having a favorable opinion of him and 15 percent seeing him in an unfavorable light.

Kobach was known by 56 percent of the sample; Barbieri-Lightner by 35 percent.

Due to the Republican lean of this suburban Kansas City district, Moore remains a top target for national GOPers. He has shown an ability to win despite the district’s demographics, however, and is a strong fundraiser.

Moore ended March with $829,000 in the bank. Taff, the best fundraiser of the three Republicans, had half that much on hand.