TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee is targeting eight incumbent state senators in Republican primaries this year, and one of the group’s officials said Tuesday that the PAC raised more than $163,000 last year to help finance its efforts.

The Chamber PAC’s targets include Senate President Steve Morris, of Hugoton. Republican conservatives have been upset with Morris and other senators over a host of issues, including taxes. Jeff Glendening, the chamber’s vice president for political affairs, said the group hopes to replace the incumbents with “free market” challengers.

The chamber’s efforts are significant because the Senate represents the last major stronghold in state government for moderate Republicans. Gov. Sam Brownback has said he’ll stay out of primaries. His fellow conservatives believe ousting several incumbent senators will clear the last significant obstacles to anti-tax, small-government policies.

Glendening said the chamber is concerned about a lack of growth in the number of private sector jobs in Kansas and believes policies backed by Senate leaders are a major factor. All eight incumbents being targeted voted in 2010 to increase the state’s sales tax to help balance the budget.

Morris said he and other GOP senators have tried to take a balanced approach to dealing with the state’s past budget problems. He said the targeted senators have supported pro-business policies, such as phasing out the state’s corporate franchise tax, essentially a fee for the privilege of doing business in Kansas.

Glendening said the other incumbent GOP senators whose challengers received maximum contributions from the Chamber PAC are Pete Brungardt, of Salina; Terrie Huntington, of Fairway; Carolyn McGinn, of Sedgwick; Tim Owens, of Overland Park; Vicki Schmidt, of Topeka; Jean Schodorf, of Wichita, and John Vratil of Leawood.