The latest unofficial totals from the secretary of state’s office showed Kobach with 498,869 or 50.8 percent of the vote and Mann with 481,506 or 49.1 percent of the vote. Mann won only five of the state’s 105 counties, but trailed Kobach by 17,363 votes. Mann, a former Lawrence police officer, said Thursday that the outcome likely won’t change in the coming days. He congratulated Kobach on his election as the state’s top law enforcement officer. “I’m asking him, on behalf of all Kansans, to put aside divisive politics and focus on the safety and security of all Kansans,” Mann said. Kobach, a former secretary of state who lost a 2020 U.S. Senate race and a 2018 gubernatorial race, will replace Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who lost a gubernatorial campaign against Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Kobach was opposed in the GOP primary by the Kansas Chamber and other prominent conservative politically oriented organizations. “You’ve got to love a comeback story, especially when we were flawless in every phase of the game and when we had some big establishment teams lined up against us,” Kobach said. Mann carried Johnson, Douglas, Shawnee, Riley and Lyon counties. His 90,000-vote advantage in Johnson, Douglas and Shawnee counties didn’t hold up when votes from GOP-dominated provincial counties were taken into account. The result of the Mann-Kobach race in Sedgwick City reflects the larger result. Out of nearly 149,000 votes, Kobach won the county by less than 1,800 votes. Kobach said on the campaign trail and on election night that he would devote himself to expanding Kansas’ role in filing lawsuits against President Joe Biden’s administration. As attorney general, he said, work on legal challenges to the Democratic president will increase. “America is not a place where the constitution is optional or ignored by a government in Washington, DC,” Kobach said. “If Joe Biden continues to break the law, Kansas will lead the charge to bring him to court.” Mann said his campaign for attorney general in a deeply red state with a large registration advantage among Republican voters is focused on public service, not politics. As a first-time candidate for public office running against a veteran of four previous state elections, Mann said he learned about “some good, some bad” features of the election process. Mann said there was disappointment in the outcome of the election, but those divisions shouldn’t stop Kansans from holding leaders of both parties accountable. “We must continue to work together to protect the rights of our friends and neighbors,” Mann said. “Keep asking tough questions and demanding answers. And, continue to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most to us.”
