Mann claims Kansas AG win, Kobach faces hand-count audit
Unofficial counts put the Democrat ahead by nearly 13,000 votes, but a state-mandated recount of 10% of precincts will determine the final outcome.
By John Ferrari ·
Kansas voters face a wait before the Attorney General's office has a confirmed leader. Although the election is not yet officially called, Democratic candidate Chris Mann announced a victory on Wednesday night, leading Republican incumbent Kris Kobach by a narrow margin.
Unofficial results from the Kansas Secretary of State's Office show Mann with 551,468 votes and Kobach with 538,647. This gap of approximately 12,821 votes places the race well within the threshold that triggers a mandatory state audit.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced that six races, including those for Governor and Attorney General, will undergo a hand-count verification. Under state law, this process is required when the margin of victory is 1% or less of the total votes cast. County election officials will manually count ballots from 10% of precincts in every county, with a minimum of one precinct audited per county.
Mann characterized the audit as a routine step to ensure accuracy. He stated that all precincts had reported 100% of their votes and that a mathematical comeback for the incumbent was unlikely. He noted that his lead was more than 11,000 votes at the time of his initial remarks.
The 2026 race serves as a rematch of the 2022 election, where Kobach secured just over 50% of the vote. Mann attributed his current standing to a strategy of in-person campaigning. He claimed that residents wanted leaders who were present to listen to their concerns and engage in direct conversations about their problems.
If declared the winner, Mann outlined a specific agenda for his first few months in office. He prioritized supporting local law enforcement, noting that 70% of Kansas agencies have ten or fewer officers. He also identified consumer fraud as a major issue, citing $30 million in losses from scams in the first six months of the year. Mann said he would focus on public education about AI-driven frauds and collaborate with federal partners to hold bad actors accountable.
Mann said he has not yet spoken with Kobach but anticipates a smooth transition. He emphasized his intention to work with the incumbent to protect the continuity of the office's work. KCTV5 reached out to Kobach for a comment but did not receive a response as of Wednesday night.
The audit process will now proceed across the state's counties. This mechanical verification is designed to confirm that the machine-tallied results match the physical ballots. Until the audit is complete and the results are certified, the race technically remains uncalled.
