TOPEKA —Republican Kris Kobach won the Kansas attorney general’s race and revived his political career Tuesday by defeating Democrat candidate Chris Mann. The Associated Press called the race at 9:24 a.m. Wednesday.
On Thursday the ACLU of Kansas issued a statement to the Attorney General-elect.
On social media, the organization wrote, "We congratulate Mr. Kobach on his victory and encourage him not to pursue the unconstitutional policies he touted during his campaign. If he changes course, the ACLU and all those who care about civil rights will eagerly partner with him."
"But should Mr. Kobach decide to follow through on his campaign promises of attacking civil liberties, denigrating democracy, and undermining the rule of law—we will relentlessly challenge those policies."
"And, as Mr. Kobach well knows from his long history of defeats dealt by the ACLU of Kansas, when we have challenged his policies on behalf of the Constitution, the Constitution has won – and will win – every time."
Kobach built a national profile and created lasting political enemies before his election as Kansas secretary of state in 2010 by becoming the go-to adviser for state and local officials wanting to crack down on illegal immigration.
He also pushed the idea that lots of people could be voting illegally and championed a tough prove-your-citizenship rule for new Kansas voters, only to see the federal courts strike it down. An early Kansas supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential bid in 2016, he was co-chairman of Trump’s short-lived presidential advisory commission on voter fraud.
Kobach told Republicans during his successful primary race this year that he would consider each morning over breakfast how as attorney general he could sue President Joe Biden's administration. But during his fall campaign, he tempered that rhetoric, saying that he'd challenge Biden actions that appeared to violate federal law or the U.S. Constitution.
-The AP contributed to the story