Kobach says he’s changed. How will we know?

The former secretary of state is downplaying voter fraud in favor of saying he'll sue President Biden over border issues

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September 30, 2022 - 3:58 PM

Kris Kobach, left, is running against Chris Mann for Kansas Attorney General. (Photos by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Meet the new Kris Kobach.  Is he the same as the old Kris Kobach? 

Before Kobach narrowly won the Republican primary for Governor in 2018, an independent group supporting then-Governor Jeff Colyer ran an ad featuring the tagline, “Call Kris Kobach.  Tell him we can’t afford his antics.”  

Kobach is re-branding this year, downplaying alleged voter fraud and presenting himself as the attorney general candidate that will sue Joe Biden (meaning, the Federal Government) over a host of different issues including the U.S.-Mexico border.

What were the “antics” mentioned in that commercial?  To answer that, a brief history of Kobach’s career is in order.  An anti-immigration activist long before Donald Trump ever sought public office, Kobach never avoided the spotlight.  While working as a law professor at UMKC, Kobach started his political career as an Overland Park city councilman. He then made two unsuccessful runs, one for state senate and one for Congress, all while filing lawsuits and assisting lawmakers in other states like Alabama and Arizona in writing anti-immigration laws.  

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