By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Republican Tony Mattivi believes someone who is a prosecutor is better suited than a politician to be Kansas' next attorney general.
Mattivi, who retired in 2020 as an Assistant United State Attorney and the Antiterrorism and National Security Coordinator for the District of Kansas, is one of three Republicans running for Kansas Attorney General. The other two are Kris Kobach and Kellie Warren. Chris Mann is the lone Democrat who has filed for the position.
"The Kansas Attorney General is the chief law enforcement official of the state. I believe that person should actually be a law enforcement official. Right now, violent crime is surging and law enforcement are desperately under-resourced. We need somebody in the attorney general’s office with decades of experience taking down drug cartels, terrorists, murderers, and foreign spies," Mattivi told Salina Post. "I know how to keep Kansas safe because I’ve spent my career doing it."
Mattivi said he decided to run at the urging of friends in law enforcement.
"I had no intention of getting into politics- I spent a career staying away from it. But it was my friends in the law enforcement community in this state who convinced me to run. They were concerned that the only people stepping up for the job were career politicians. It was finally my friend Marc Bennett, the DA in Sedgwick County, who convinced me to run because we need an AG who’s a prosecutor, not a politician," Mattivi said.
Mattivi's experience in law enforcement is what he believes sets him apart from the other candidates in the primary election.
"Both of my opponents in this primary are career politicians. They view the AG’s office as a consolation prize or a career stepping stone. If you elect a politician to be your attorney general, you should expect them to make political decisions. That’s what makes me different. I’ll make decisions informed by 30 years of experience in the law," he said. "When I’m running the AG’s office, I’ll be focused on what keeps you safe, not what pads my political resume."
Mattivi said that if elected as the state's next attorney general, his first priority would be to keep Kansas safe. He said an immediate concern is fentanyl.
"I think we need a taskforce that brings together law enforcement and stakeholders from all walks of life to put aside politics and territorialism and focus on solutions to keep this devastating drug out of our streets," Mattivi said. "I have prosecuted complex drug cases and I’ve prosecuted cases involving weapons of mass destruction. When you look at how much damage miniscule amounts of fentanyl can do, I think it’s time we started treating it more like a weapon of mass destruction."
Mattivi also talked about federal government overreach and the need to protect against that.
"I want people to know that I am a constitutional conservative and an experienced litigator. I know that our next attorney general will have to go to court, not just against criminals, but also to defend our constitutional liberties," he said.