Democratic attorney Chris Mann is positioning to make another run for attorney general against Republican incumbent Kris Kobach in 2026.
Mann has a fundraiser scheduled for later this week in Leawood and has already set up a fundraising account with ActBlue. He has not officially filed for the office, however.
A former police officer whose law enforcement career was interrupted when he was struck by a drunk driver during a traffic stop, Mann lost by 1.6 percentage points, or 15,892 votes out of nearly 1 million votes cast in the 2022 attorney general’s race.
“It is clearer than ever that Kansans need leaders committed to serving the public — leaders who will stand up for the rule of law and our constitution. Kansans deserve strong, courageous leaders who will fight for Kansans,” Mann said in a statement Sunday night.
The Sunflower State Journal late last week obtained invitations to the fundraiser for an undisclosed Leawood address from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
The fundraiser seeks donations ranging from $100 to $2,000 although the Legislature just passed a new law increasing the limit for donation for statewide campaigns to $4,000 from for the primary and the general election each.
The general election for attorney general in 2022 cost both candidates about $2.7 million combined, with Mann spending about $1.6 million and Kobach laying out about $1.1 million not counting outside help he got from the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Mann is the only Democratic candidate who has signaled he’s running for attorney general, and it’s presumed that Kobach would run for a second four-year term.
Kobach’s term has largely been marked by suing former President Joe Biden’s administration over various rules and regulations, although that has now dissipated with the election of President Donald Trump.
Last legislative session, Kobach, now chair of the Republican Attorneys General Association, unsuccessfully tried to get lawmakers to require Kansas employers to use a federal internet-based system to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the country.
He also failed to get the Legislature to ban immigrants living in the United States illegally from receiving most state or local benefits, including in-state tuition at higher education institutions. The bill passed out of a Senate committee but went no further.
He also took Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration to court over its refusal to change a policy for allowing transgender Kansans to change their gender markers on driver’s licenses.
A Shawnee County judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the administration from allowing transgender Kansans to change their gender markers on driver’s licenses. The case is now on appeal.
During his term, Kobach successfully advocated for a bill that eliminated the $100 fee that’s charged for concealed-carry permits plus the $25 renewal fee and any late fees.
He and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is under the attorney general’s jurisdiction, signed an agreement with the federal government to allow KBI agents to help enforce immigration law.
In 2022, Mann carried six Kansas counties in his race against Kobach, winning Douglas, Wyandotte, Johnson, Riley, Shawnee and Lyon counties, according to data compiled by researchers at Wichita State University.
By comparison, Kelly carried eight counties in a four-person field when she was reelected governor in 2022, winning the same six counties as Mann plus Sedgwick and Geary counties.
Mann outperformed Kelly in Douglas, Wyandotte and Johnson counties, although he ran in a two-person field in the general election.
Mann became a police officer at 21 years old during his junior year at the University of Kansas.
But his career as a police officer came to an end four years later when he was struck by a drunk driver at 50 mph during a routine traffic stop.
After undergoing years of physical therapy to overcome the injuries from the crash, Mann decided to go to law school and received a full scholarship to attend Washburn University Law School.
An attorney in private practice in Lawrence, Mann has chaired the National Board of Directors for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
He has served on the Kansas Sentencing Commission and as a senior attorney for the Kansas securities commissioner.
He also worked as an assistant district attorney in Wyandotte County.
“Over the last few years, Chris Mann has received incredible bipartisan support encouraging him to run for public office again,” said Kyle Freese, spokesperson for Mann.
“As a former law enforcement officer and prosecutor, he is a man of deep integrity who has committed his career to keeping Kansans safe.
“Chris will face down bullies and stand up for our families, veterans, seniors and workers. We’ll have more to share about his plans in the coming weeks.”
