Mike Pompeo endorses in Kansas attorney general race ahead of primary election

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed state Sen. Kellie Warren of Leawood in the race for Kansas attorney general on Thursday, less than two weeks before the Aug. 2 primary election.

Pompeo, a former U.S. representative from Wichita, passed over former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former federal prosecutor Tony Mattivi in making his pick in the Republican race.

Pompeo made the endorsement through CAVPAC, a political operation led by Pompeo supporting Republican candidates in multiple states. The PAC is seen as a prelude to a possible presidential campaign by Pompeo, who was polling at 2% among Republican voters in a national New York Times-Siena College poll conducted earlier this month.

“Kellie Warren is an experienced attorney and proven conservative policy leader who knows how to fight the tough battles and win,” Pompeo said in a statement, adding that Kansas needs a “proven conservative fighter” as its next attorney general.

Pompeo’s endorsement comes after Sen. Roger Marshall also this week he is supporting Warren.

Warren and Kobach have focused much of their campaigns promising to fight President Joe Biden’s administration. Kobach has attacked Warren, who chairs the Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee, as inexperienced, while Warren has attacked Kobach over numerous controversies, including being held in contempt of court by a federal judge.

Mattivi has emphasized his experience as a prosecutor and as the only Republican candidate to have previously worked in the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. He has promised a more traditional focus on law enforcement if elected.

“It’s clear the political establishment wants one of their own in the attorney generals office. But the political establishment can’t change the fact that Kellie Warren is the most stunningly unqualified candidate for attorney general in recent history,” Mattivi said in a statement.

Kobach’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kobach has touted the endorsements of evangelical Christian leader James Dobson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mattivi has the endorsements of a number of Kansas law enforcement officials, including Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe.

Whichever Republican wins the primary will face Democrat Chris Mann, a former police officer and Wyandotte County prosecutor, in the general election.