Kris Kobach, the Republican incumbent, is seeking a second term as Kansas attorney general in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Democrat Chris Mann, who also challenged Kobach 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 in November 2022, according to the Kansas Attorney General's office.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Office sought: Kansas attorney general
  • Residence: Near Lecompton, Kansas. He was raised in Topeka.
  • Family: Wife, Heather, and five children
  • Education: High school diploma, Washburn Rural High School (1984); bachelor's degree in government, Harvard University (graduated first in his department, summa cum laude); master of arts in politics, University of Oxford (Marshall Scholar); doctorate in politics, Oxford University; J.D., 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 three decades, according to the attorney general's office and White House Fellows program records.

  • 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)
  • Counsel and chief advisor to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
  • Law clerk, Judge Tacha, United States Court of Appeals
  • City council member, Overland Park, Kansas

On the issues

The following positions are based on Kobach's responses on his campaign website. 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 Kansans 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, at kriskobach.com/meet-kris. The race is also contested by Chris Mann.

  • John Ashcroft, former U.S. attorney general, who said on the campaign site: "Kris Kobach was one of my most qualified, competent and dedicated attorneys at the Justice Department when I served as U.S. Attorney General."
  • 51 Kansas sheriffs, who praised what they called his law-and-order leadership

Candidate responses and issue positions were drawn from Kobach's campaign website. Voters can learn more at kriskobach.com.