A hard-right conservative group led by former Kansas Congressman Jim Ryun is endorsing a Republican who is trying to oust three-term GOP Sen. Pat Roberts.

The Madison Project says it’s backing Dr. Milton Wolf over Roberts. The blunt-spoken conservative was elected to the Senate in 1996 after eight terms in the House and has never gotten less than 60 percent of the vote in his heartland state.

The Madison Project has backed challengers to Republican incumbents in Kentucky and Mississippi and says Wolf will provide the necessary leadership.

The Associated Press learned of the endorsement ahead of the formal announcement scheduled Thursday.

Wolf is a distant cousin of President Barack Obama. A physician and a tea party-backed candidate, he has been outspoken in his opposition to the health care law.