Kobach begins campaign for Kansas secretary of state

TOPEKA

Republican Kris Kobach formally began his campaign to be Kansas secretary of state on Tuesday with a promise to aggressively pursue election crimes.
“I would be transforming the model somewhat, from a ministerial model to more of a law-enforcement model,” Kobach told reporters after filing the paperwork to run.
The Piper resident said he supported requiring all voters to show a photo ID at the polls and requiring those registering to vote to prove U.S. citizenship.
Kobach also said he would help prosecute election fraud crimes and, if allowed by the state attorney general, defend a state voter ID law against legal challenges. Kansas has no such law currently, but Kobach said he had a bill drafted and ready for legislative consideration.
Kobach, 43, said he would take a leave of absence from his faculty position at the University of Missouri-Kansas City law school to campaign.
He ran for Congress in 2004 and later led the state Republican Party. He also was one of the drafters of Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants.
Kobach faces Shawnee County Elections Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley and Salina resident J.R. Claeys in the Aug. 3 GOP primary.