Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach runs in a rematch against Democrat Chris Mann, a race that the incumbent won by a slim margin four years ago.
Democrats think they have a shot to win the Kansas attorney general’s race this year after a narrow loss last time.
The race four years ago was the tightest statewide race and the two candidates are the same. Incumbent Republican Kris Kobach and Democratic challenger Chris Mann.
It’s been two decades since Kansans elected a Democrat to be attorney general. In those 20 years, most elections have been blowout wins for Republicans.
But 2022 was different.
Kris Kobach won the race by less than 2%. And now this year, it’s a midterm race with a Republican holding the presidency.
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National issues like tariffs, inflation and the war in Iran have Democrats fired up to get back to the ballot box.
Despite these national concerns, Kobach remains confident.
He said his record speaks for itself.
“I’ve got four years of results,” Kobach said, “that show how successful we’ve been in the attorney general’s office.”
He pointed to crime rates and an anti-trust lawsuit against a ticketing giant that showed the company overcharged consumers.
But Democrats are excited for a chance to defeat a conservative firebrand with national name recognition.
Big money in a big race
Both candidates have a bigger war chest than they did four years ago. Kobach and Mann have more than doubled their funds this time.
Kobach had more than $600,000 cash on hand according to the last campaign finance report filing.
Mann had more than $640,000 at his disposal to compete with the incumbent.
Although the numbers are comparable now, throughout his 2026 campaign run Mann has more than doubled the fundraising effort of Kobach.
These numbers indicate Democrats think that Mann has a shot to unseat Kobach.
Firebrand goes up against national headwinds
Kobach knows what he’s up against when it comes to national political trends.
“When you have one party that is in the White House, the other party tends to do better in midterm cycles,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Kansas voters do not always follow those trends. Four years ago they reelected Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in a tight race, despite Democrat Joe Biden being president.
Another concern for Kobach is his decision to support two failed constitutional amendments. He pushed for a controversial amendment on abortion, which Kansas voters shot down.
Kobach supported an amendment to change the Kansas Supreme Court nomination process. Voters also shot that down.
When previously serving as secretary of state, Kobach pushed a law to have voters prove citizenship before registering to vote. That led thousands of citizens being blocked from registering and an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that cost the state nearly $2 million in legal fees and expenses after the ACLU won.
Kobach has also been outspoken on social issues like his support for a transgender bathroom and ID laws.
But some political experts believe voters have moved on from these social issues and now want an attorney general that will focus on the typical functions of the job like consumer protection and assisting rural law enforcement.
Doing the job
Kobach said he can focus on social issues while still doing the traditional work of an attorney general.
“I think I’ve proven as a former professor of constitutional law who argues these cases myself in court,” he said. “I can do it all.”
In recent weeks he has taken a more populist consumer protection message.
Touting the national court ruling against Meta that brings strict child-safety guidelines and millions of dollars to fund youth mental health initiatives.
And his opposition to a railroad merger which Kobach said in an op-ed would create a monopoly.
Democratic challenger Chris Mann said Kobach’s history is still on the minds of people in Kansas.
“They don’t forget about people who are trying to take away your rights,” Mann said. “Him trying to make a move now to moderate himself just isn’t going to work.”
Mann — a former prosecutor and police officer — has gone on the attack during his second run for the attorney general’s office.
He has said he wants to focus the office on traditional, meat and potatoes attorney general work like increasing assistance for rural law enforcement and fighting consumer fraud.
Mann said the position of attorney general does not need to be flashy.
“People are sick and tired of headline-grabbing politicians who are in it for themselves and not the people of Kansas,” he said.
Mann is attempting to ride the potential national Democratic midterm wave that does not usually splash down in Kansas.
Similar races
Democrats believe this type of well-known incumbent could be the perfect opponent for their party to pick up a statewide office victory.
Emporia State University Political Science Professor Michael Smith said they could be right.
“Oftentimes, it takes a Republican opponent that is seen as flawed,” he said.
This year’s attorney general race reminds Smith of the 2018 gubernatorial race and the 2006 attorney general race.
The 2006 Kansas attorney general race found a similarly outspoken Republican incumbent — Phill Kline — losing to Paul Morrison, a former Republican who switched parties to run as a Democrat.
The race took place during a mid-term election where George W. Bush’s poll numbers were sagging below 40%, just like President Donald Trump now.
In 2018 Kobach lost to Laura Kelly — a moderate state senator.
Trump was also entering the 2nd half of a presidential term during that race.
Smith said he expects Kobach will run a more focused campaign than he did back then.
“He has not been the sort of brash, all-over-the-place younger Kris Kobach that we remember from the early 2000s and 2010s,” Smith said.
During that 2018 campaign Smith said Kobach focused too much on getting attention with national tv interviews instead of concentrating on local issues and campaigning.
Kobach wants his record as attorney general to speak for itself.
The question now is whether his record can overcome the political headwinds facing Republicans — and whether Mann can capitalize on them.
Zach Boblitt reports on the Kansas Statehouse for the Kansas News Service.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of Kansas Public Radio, KMUW, KCUR, KRPS and High Plains Public Radio.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
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More coverage: Election 2026
Kris Kobach touts record as Kansas attorney general while Democrat Chris Mann attacks it
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