Midterms 2026 · Report · File No. 261107-284
Kris Kobach loses Kansas attorney general race to Democrat Chris Mann, AP projects
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, one of the country's best-known promoters of voter-fraud claims, lost to Democrat Chris Mann by about 13,000 votes. It is another sign of Republican trouble in a state that usually votes red.
Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
The Associated Press (AP) projected that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, lost his bid for a second term. He was beaten by Democrat Chris Mann, a former prosecutor and police officer 1.
Mann leads with 50.6 percent of the vote to Kobach's 49.4 percent, a margin of about 13,000 votes 1. Decision Desk HQ, The Hill's election-results partner, had not yet called the race when The Hill reported the result 1.
Kobach had not conceded as of Friday's report. Mann declared victory early Wednesday 2.
A voter-fraud crusader falls
Kobach is best known for accusing others of widespread election fraud. He did so as Kansas secretary of state, the state's top election official, and as vice chair of President Trump's voter fraud commission in his first term 1.
From Channel GOPKansas Senator-elect Adam Hamilton on what comes nextAdam Hamilton · captioned, with the source named
That commission drew pushback from both parties when it demanded that states turn over voter roll information, including partial Social Security numbers 1. A report from Maine's then-Secretary of State Matt Dunlap showed the commission did not find any widespread voter fraud, and Trump dissolved it 1.
Kobach has kept up the claims as attorney general. One local report quotes him calling the four noncitizen-voting cases his office found the "tip of the iceberg" 2.
tip of the iceberg
Who is Mann
Mann was a police officer until an accident with a drunk driver. He then spent most of his career fighting drunk driving and representing victims in court 2. He campaigned on expanding efforts against fentanyl and said he would not bring lawsuits to serve a political agenda 2.
The Kansas State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed him. That was the first time the group backed a Democrat since 2002 2. He will be the first Democrat to hold the office since 2011 2.
The office is going to be focused squarely on public service
A bad night for Kansas Republicans
This is Kobach's second statewide general-election loss in the past 10 years 1. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly beat him by seven points in the 2018 governor's race 1.
Tuesday was rough for Kansas Republicans more broadly. Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, beat Sen. Roger Marshall by five points. He is the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas in nearly 100 years 1.
Kansas Democrats are also poised to pick up 20 seats in the state House, with nearly all votes counted. The party appears likely to hold the governor's mansion, though no winner has been projected there 1.
What happens next
The margin is about one percentage point. That is close enough that Kobach could still decline to concede, and a local report says the race came after a close-race audit 2. Results are not final until Kansas officials certify them.
That matters because the attorney general is the state's top lawyer. The office decides which lawsuits Kansas joins and how it defends state laws. The pattern is a national one: Democrats flipped Senate seats in red states including Texas, South Carolina, Iowa and Ohio 1.
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Sources
- The Hill, “Republican Kris Kobach loses AG reelection bid in Kansas” (2026-11-07). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6206185-kris-kobach-loses-kans
- Lawrence Journal-World, “Incumbent Kris Kobach loses Kansas attorney general seat to Democrat Chris Mann” (2026-11-06). www2.ljworld.com/news/state-government/2026/nov/06/incumbent
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