Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) announced Friday that he will run for Congress in a bid to replace outgoing Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kan.).
Schmidt announced his campaign just a week after LaTurner said he would retire from Congress. The three-term attorney general is now fighting for the House after narrowly losing a 2022 gubernatorial bid to Gov. Laura Kelly (D).
“I feel a calling to serve, so I’m excited to announce I’m running,” Schmidt wrote in an ad. “I firmly believe that America needs more effective, conservative voices in public service.”
Kansas’s 2nd District contains parts of Kansas City and much of rural eastern Kansas. It is considered a safe Conservative seat for the general election.
Schmidt’s campaign emphasized his experience as attorney general in being tough on crime and upheld his record of arguing against the Obama and Biden administrations at the Supreme Court.
“Those of us who represent conservative Kansas values need to stand up and fight back,” he said in a statement, adding a jab at President Biden. “In Congress, I will work to secure our border, combat the excesses of a federal government that doesn’t understand our way of life, and stop the federal government from making daily life increasingly expensive and difficult.”
His announcement also affirmed his support for former President Trump in 2024.
“The past four years have made it clear that America was stronger when President Trump served in the White House,” Schmidt wrote. “And I look forward to working with him and others in the coming year — yes, to truly make America great again.”
Schmidt was generally seen as a moderate during his tenure as attorney general, but embraced far-right positions on vaccines, transgender rights and critical race theory during his gubernatorial campaign.
He has also faced criticism for embracing voter denial rhetoric surrounding the 2020 election, including working with a group this later asked people to participate in what became the January 6 Capitol riots. Schmidt also joined a lawsuit in Texas that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which failed.
Schmidt is the only Republican Party candidate who has announced a campaign for the 2nd District seat. The Kansas primary is scheduled for August 6.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
