TOPEKA | The showdown is is set for high noon today.

State Rep. Greg Smith is expected to testify against a redistricting plan that would cut him out of district where he wanted to run against incumbent Sen. Tim Owens.

Smith will appear before the committee the Owens chairs, setting up a possible preview of this summer's Republican primary in Johnson County.

Smith posted this statement to his campaign web site late last night.

"As elected officials we are supposed to work in the best interest of the people we represent," Smith said.

"The new senate maps o not reflect that. They were drawn on a purely political basis. I am very disappointed that some elected officials put their own interest, their jobs, ahead of the people of Kansas. "

Under the two Senate maps, Smith would either be moved into a district represented by Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook of Shawnee or Sen. Terrie Huntington of Fairway.

If you like political intrigue, this is one hearing that should be worth attending.