Kris W. Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State (Photo by: Walt Whitaker)Democratic leaders in the Kansas Legislature are criticizing Secretary of State Kris Kobach for serving as the honorary campaign chairman for a fellow Republican. Paul Davis, of Lawrence, is the top Democrat in the Kansas House. He says the secretary of state is responsible for maintaining fair elections in Kansas and therefore, Kobach shouldn't be involved in campaigning.
Secretary of State Kobach says his actions are not out of the ordinary.
Kobach says the ethics code of the National Association of Secretaries of State does not forbid endorsing candidates. And, he says, serving as an "honorary" campaign chairman is nothing more than an endorsement.