Kris Kobach seeks second term as Kansas attorney general

Kris Kobach, the Republican incumbent, is running for a second term as Kansas attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Chris Mann. Mann also challenged him in 2022.

Kobach won that race with 50.8% of nearly 1 million votes cast, according to the Kansas Reflector. He was elected as Kansas's 45th attorney general, according to the attorney general's office website. Kobach formerly served on the Overland Park City Council.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Residence: Near Lecompton, Kansas, with his wife, Heather, and their five children
Hometown: Raised in Topeka, Kansas
Education:
High school diploma, Washburn Rural High School (1984)
Bachelor's degree in government, Harvard University, graduating first in his department and summa cum laude
Master of arts in politics, University of Oxford, as a Marshall Scholar
Doctorate in politics, Oxford University
Juris doctor, Yale University (1995), where he served as notes development editor of the Yale Law Journal

Experience and public service

Kobach has held elected office, academic positions and federal appointments over a career spanning three decades.

Kansas attorney general (2023–present)
Chairman, Republican Attorneys General Association (2024)
Kansas secretary of state (2011–2019)
Vice chair, Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (2017)
Professor of constitutional law, University of Missouri-Kansas City (1996–2011)
White House Fellow, Department of Justice (2001–2002)
Chief advisor and counsel to Attorney General John Ashcroft
Law clerk for Judge Tacha, United States Court of Appeals
City council member, City of Overland Park

On the issues

The following positions are based on responses from Kobach's campaign. They reflect the candidate's own claims.

Drug enforcement and fentanyl: Kobach said he established a fentanyl task force and increased fentanyl criminal penalties. He said those efforts resulted in a nearly 17% drop in fentanyl deaths in Kansas.

Consumer protection: Kobach said he has brought more than $320 million in restitution and settlements to the people of Kansas as attorney general.

Public safety and crime: Kobach said the Kansas crime rate has dropped to its lowest point in 57 years under his leadership as attorney general.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are listed on Kobach's campaign website. The first is from his candidate biography page, and the second from the campaign homepage.