Former Kansas Republican AG Derek Schmidt Announces Run for Congress

On Friday, former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he will be running for the House of Representatives seat being vacated by Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-KS.)

Schmidt announced his campaign just a week after LaTurner said he will retire from Congress. The three-term attorney general is now gunning for the House after narrowly losing a 2022 gubernatorial bid to Gov. Laura Kelly (D).
“I feel a calling to serve, so I am excited to announce that I am running,” Schmidt wrote in an announcement. “I strongly believe that America needs more effective, conservative voices in public service.”
Kansas’ 2nd District contains parts of Kansas City and much of rural eastern Kansas. It is considered a safe conservative seat for the general election.

AG Schmidt made the announcement on X/Twitter.

I'm in.

I am proud to be a Kansan. Always have been. It would be an honor to be your voice in Congress. I respectfully ask for your vote. #KS02

Join us at https://t.co/FYSSFQMXMs. pic.twitter.com/oH8wSg8sA7
— Derek Schmidt (@DerekSchmidtKS) April 26, 2024

Before running for Congress, Schmidt was elected to the Kansas Senate in 2000, and in 2004 was elected the Senate Majority Leader, a post he held until 2010. He served as Kansas's Attorney General, also an elected position in Kansas, from 2010 until 2022.

The district in which Schmidt seeks election is viewed as a safe conservative seat and will not change the tenuous balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Schmidt is basing his campaign on opposing President Biden's policies, and on his support for former President Trump.

“Those of us who represent Kansas conservative 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, fight overreach from the 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.
“These past four years have made 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 next year — yes, to truly make America great again.”

While the balance of the House of Representatives won't hinge on this election, in which an outgoing Republican will almost certainly be replaced by another Republican, the current razor-thin Republican majority in that chamber is still at stake. If former President Trump regains the White House, any significant agenda items he will want to realize will require a Republican House and Senate. As of this writing, that majority is anything but certain.

While attorney general, Schmidt argued three cases before the Supreme Court, including Kansas v. Garcia, in which the Supreme Court found in favor of Kansas in its enforcement of a state law against committing identity theft or fraud in order to obtain employment.

Derek Schmidt's campaign website may be viewed here.