Chris Mann declares victory in Kansas attorney general race with 50.5% of vote, but Kris Kobach has not conceded
Democrat Chris Mann has declared victory in the race for Kansas attorney general, holding a lead of 548,047 votes to Republican incumbent Kris Kobach’s 536,759 as of 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to WIBW. That puts Mann at 50.5% to Kobach’s 49.5%, though the Associated Press has not called the race and outstanding mail ballots—which often lean Democratic—could still shift the outcome, the Kansas News Service reported.
This marks a potential rematch reversal: Kobach narrowly defeated Mann in their last election, and the conservative firebrand has held the attorney general’s office since January 2023. Mann, a former police officer turned prosecutor, campaigned on public safety and local focus, earning the endorsement of the Kansas State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police for the first time since 2002. “I’m proud to have earned the trust of so many Kansans,” Mann said in a statement. “As Attorney General, I will show up for the people of Kansas every day, fighting to keep our communities safe and hold bad actors accountable.”
Kris Kobach has turned the Attorney General's office into a platform for political fights instead of a place that fights for Kansans. Kansas deserves better than that. Chip in today and help us build the campaign it's going to take to defeat Kobach.
A career shaped by a 2002 crash, now headed back to the top office
Mann’s path to law enforcement ended abruptly in 2002 when a drunk driver struck him during a traffic stop, injuries that forced him out of policing but pushed him into the courtroom. He graduated from Washburn University Law School, became a prosecutor in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, and later worked for the Kansas Securities Commission before opening his own firm in 2015, WIBW reported. His volunteer work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and his chairmanship of the Kansas Advisory Board in 2011 focused on drunk driving legislation.
Kobach, meanwhile, has built a national profile over decades in Kansas politics. He served as secretary of state starting in 2011, ran for governor in 2018 but lost to Democrat Laura Kelly, then won the attorney general seat in 2022. During his tenure, he pushed a law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote—a measure later blocked by courts—and his efforts to prove widespread voter fraud did not pan out, the Kansas News Service noted.
Trump’s shadow and the fight over the office’s focus
The race drew national attention partly because of Kobach’s alignment with President Donald Trump. Trump appointed Kobach to a voter fraud commission during his first term, and when Trump visited Kansas recently, he brought Kobach on stage in Salina. “Been my friend for so long,” Trump said. “I endorsed him. For years I’ve been endorsing him.” Vice President JD Vance also visited the state twice, largely due to an unexpectedly tight U.S. Senate race, the Kansas News Service reported.
Mann positioned himself against what he saw as theatrics, telling voters he would focus on the office itself. Kobach, for his part, centered his campaign on Kansas’ record-low crime rates under his leadership and touted legal challenges against Biden-era policies, including a lawsuit over the Title IX rule that replaced “sex” with “gender” in protections for women’s educational opportunities. He also led a lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools over parental rights regarding student social transitions and teamed with the U.S. Department of Justice to challenge in-state tuition for non-citizens who grew up in Kansas, according to the Kansas News Service.
Fundraising favored Mann, who outpaced Kobach as Democrats did in other major Kansas races. Kobach also faced criticism twice for appearing to accept donations above state limits, though his campaign attributed some to married couples donating jointly, the Kansas News Service reported. Kobach had not issued a statement or made public comments on the results by early Wednesday morning.
If the lead holds, Mann will take over the office in January, with his swearing-in scheduled for Jan. 11, 2027, WIBW reported.
🧵 1/2 | 🌻 KANSAS IS SENDING THE COUNTRY A MESSAGE A 94-year Republican winning streak ended in Kansas’s U. S. Senate elections. Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the Kansas House in the unofficial count. And the races for governor and attorney general put two more… pic.twitter.com/cvuBOR29K7
More on Democrat Chris Mann
Kris Kobach unloads on Democrat Chris Mann accusing him of trying to turn Kansas into a sanctuary state while vowing to help ICE accelerate deportations#NYI pic.twitter.com/y1FkpmWQDp
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