Kansas AG Kris Kobach running for reelection, touting low crime and Biden lawsuits
While he has not formally announced a reelection campaign, Kobach's campaign spokesperson, Danedri Herbert, confirmed to The Capital-Journal on July 30 that he is running for reelection.
The same day, Democrat Chris Mann announced he was running for attorney general. That could set up a rematch of the 2022 election, which was the tightest race of any statewide office. Kobach got 50.8% of the vote and Mann got 49.2%, or a separation of nearly 16,000 votes.
Kobach lives in Douglas County with his wife, and they have five daughters. He grew up in Topeka before attending Harvard University, Oxford University and Yale Law School.
Kris Kobach statement hits on crime rate, Biden lawsuits, immigration
In response to Mann's announcement, Kobach's campaign touted accomplishments from his first term.
"Kris Kobach has delivered," Herbert said in a statement. "Under Kris Kobach's leadership, the Kansas crime rate has dropped to the lowest point in 20 years. As a result, Kansans are safer than they have ever been in the last 20 years."
Kobach's campaign credited "his law-and order approach" and said "Kansas crime rates dropped far more than the rest of the nation."
Kansas Bureau of Investigation crime statistics include a total crime index, which is a count of both violent and property crimes. The 2024 index was the lowest of any year since at least 2003, which is the furthest back the KBI's online reports go.
The total crime index is a stronger indicator of property crime, which far outnumbers the amount of violent crime in the state. The violent crime rate has also declined during Kobach's term after peaking in 2020.
More: Kansas's crime rate dropped in 2024, but Shawnee County exceeds state averages
In the 2022 election, Kobach campaigned on suing Biden and promised to set up a division dedicated to suing the Democratic president. Kobach, who is now the chair of the Republican Attorneys General Association, led or joined a multitude of lawsuits against the federal government.
"As Kansas Attorney General, Kobach sued the Biden administration dozens of times," his campaign's news release said. "He specifically led 12 lawsuits to stop the Biden administration from breaking the law."
The campaign touted "victories in court that Kobach won" against Biden. The cases cited include one with a nationwide injunction from a federal judge in Kansas blocking student loan forgiveness, a Kobach-led case in South Dakota with a 19-state injunction on Obamacare for immigrants in the country illegally and a Kansas judge's injunction with nationwide implications barring Title IX sex discrimination protections at schools and universities from being extended to transgender people.
Now with Trump in office, Kobach is working with the president's administration on immigration enforcement using a 287(g) agreement. Kobach's campaign said "Kansans would not be as safe if Chris Mann were attorney general right now," in part because Mann "would not have signed a 287(g) agreement."
Kobach's campaign also touted elimination of the fee for concealed carry permits, because "no one should have to pay the state to exercise a constitutional right."
More: From suing Biden to working with Trump, Kobach and Republican AGs have new role
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kris Kobach running for reelection as Kansas attorney general in 2026
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