By Chance Swaim
The Wichita Eagle cswaim@wichitaeagle.com
In their first televised debate, Kansas attorney general candidate Chris Mann compared opponent Kris Kobach to “a comic book villain” over his support for removing abortion rights from the state Constitution by changing how Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected. Mann’s comments came during a back and forth over whether the candidates planned to protect existing abortion laws after voters decided by a wide margin in August to keep abortion rights in the Kansas Constitution. The debate was broadcast last week on KWCH-12 in Wichita. Kobach, a Republican, promised to defend the state’s existing laws regulating abortions, including parental consent requirements for minors seeking the procedure and bans on late-term and state-funded abortions.
“My opponent has already said in one interview that he would not, quote, waste the resources of the office to defend laws like that,” Kobach said. Mann said on Tuesday, “I’ve simply never said that.” Last month, at a Wichita Crime Commission debate, Mann, a Democrat, said he would defend existing laws but would not “waste the resources of the office to attack women’s constitutional rights.”
“My opponent, though, has said very openly that he will slowly and quietly undo the will of the voters of Kansas, like some sort of comic book villain,” Mann said Tuesday. “People are tired of politicians telling them what to do. The job of the attorney general is to enforce the laws that are in place and protect the constitution.” Mann and Kobach also clashed on marijuana legalization, transgender athletes and election laws. Their biggest disagreement appeared to be the role of the highest law enforcement official in the state. Kobach said he plans to add prosecutors to launch lawsuits against the federal government and the American Civil Liberties Union. Mann said he plans to focus on consumer fraud, Medicaid fraud, violent crime and victims’ services.
Kobach said “the number one job of an attorney general is defending the state’s laws when they are attacked” and “to stop a president who is violating the Constitution through his policies.” Mann said “the office needs to be judicious in the litigation that it has against the federal government.” “We have limited resources, and those resources need to be focused right here in Kansas,” Mann said.
The disagreement escalated when Kobach asked Mann directly whether he would sue the federal government if it attempted to tie federal funds to compliance with rules allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. “As attorney general, I would bring a lawsuit to stop that,” Kobach said.
Mann said the debate about transgender student-athletes “is best handled by our school and our sports authorities.”
“What I can tell you is that the political rhetoric surrounding this issue has real consequences,” Mann said, sharing the story of a transgender teenager who died of suicide. “Thankfully, the Attorney General’s Office has a unit that helps with teenage suicide prevention,” Mann said. “I’ll focus on helping our vulnerable children.” Mann said he would support “well-regulated medical marijuana” in Kansas. Kobach said he is opposed to all efforts to legalize marijuana.
Kobach said he believes voting fraud is a high priority and called for abolishing ballot drop-boxes. “Those on the left who say there is no election fraud are simply ignoring reality,” Kobach said. “In my tenure alone as secretary of state, …. I prosecuted more than a dozen cases of fraud, and those were usually double voting cases.”
Mann said Kansas already has safe and secure elections. “I would prosecute fraud, if it existed, and make sure we’re holding people accountable,” Mann said. “But the problem is my opponent has pushed unconstitutional laws that have disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters, cost our state millions of dollars, cost communities around this country millions more, and that’s just not what the people want.”
Both candidates dodged a question on what changes needed to be implemented to address concerns of bias in the Kansas justice system raised by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s Commission on Racial Equality and Justice, which has become campaign fodder in the tight governor’s race between Kelly and Republican challenger Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
“I think, all too often, especially people on the left try to claim that our police officers and law enforcement are somehow racially biased,” Kobach said. “I don’t think that’s the case.”
“As a former police officer and prosecutor, I know that our law enforcement are doing an amazing job around this state protecting citizens in very difficult circumstances,” Mann said. “But I also know that we all are looking to improve. … I think law enforcement is always doing that. And I think that’s part of the important work that law enforcement does.”
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