Kris Kobach on Thursday announced he’s running for Kansas Attorney General. The former Kansas Secretary of State addressed a crowd at the Sedgwick County courthouse, outlining his plan to fight the Biden administration on policies harmful to Kansans.
“Looking back on it all, I think this is the one office that would have the biggest impact in fighting back against the Biden administration and unconstitutional actions. A Governor can protest and make speeches, but really doesn’t have the authority to stop those actions. A Senator can vote but won’t be able to stop those actions. An attorney general can actually go to court and stop those actions. For this time, this is what I think I was meant to do,” said Kobach during his speech outside the old Sedgwick County Courthouse on Thursday.
https://twitter.com/KrisKobach1787/status/1387944938550317068
“On a host of issues from the attempted federal takeover of elections to attempts to restrict our Second Amendment rights, the Biden administration and its allies in Congress disregard the constitutional limits of federal power,” Kobach later said in a statement. “The most important officer who can fight back against such unconstitutional actions is a state attorney general. I am the right man for the job at the right time, and I am answering the call.”
Kobach served as a White House Fellow in the U.S. Justice Department and said he is also running to make clear that in Kansas, law enforcement officers are protected and respected.
“The attack by the Left against police officers across the country has reached a fever pitch. In Kansas, I will make clear from the top that we stand with law enforcement, and we value the officers who protect us.”
Finally, Kobach said that he is running to protect life and to protect Kansas’s laws from attack by the ACLU and its allies.
“When the Legislature passes a law to protect the unborn or to protect our way of life in a manner the Left does not like, the ACLU and its allies inevitably sue. The attorney general must have the expertise and the willingness to defend our laws in court,” Kobach said.
In his campaign filing Kobach listed Laura Tawater as his treasurer, the First District chair for the Kansas Republican Party.
Kobach was the first prominent Kansas official to get on the Trump Train in 2016 after the former president announced his candidacy. Kobach made a name for himself strengthening immigration laws ensuring working for voter registration integrity.
Kobach served as secretary of state from 2011-2019. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 and failed in his 2020 bid for the U.S. Senate.
The announcement drew praise from some quarters and scorn from others.
Alan Cobb, Kansas Chamber President, said it boils down to trust.
“The next attorney general of Kansas needs to be someone who is trusted, competent and focused on Kansas. Our state needs a chief legal advocate dedicated to protecting our rule of law and ensuring a stable legal climate,” Cobb stated, “The Kansas business community has great concerns whether Kris Kobach, as attorney general, can adequately and effectively represent Kansas businesses and individuals successfully in court. Kobach’s candidacy puts too much at risk.”
Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita, who attended Kobach’s campaign announcement, said he would continue to be a force on the campaign trail, however.
“He’s very humble. He’s highly intelligent, and he’s a great communicator,” Penn said.
Kelly Arnold, former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said Kobach would have a significant advantage over other potential candidates, given that he has a national profile and has historically had a close alliance with Trump.
Educated at Harvard, Oxford and Yale, Kobach, also formerly served as a constitutional law professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and a fellow at the U.S. Department of Justice. He also was a member of the City Council of Overland Park and a former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party.
Derek Schmidt, the current Kansas attorney general, in March announced his bid governor.
–Dwight Widaman |Metro Voice