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Updated 06/18/2024 - KRPS 89.9 FM is fully operational, broadcasting at 100,000 watts.

Kansas AG race could come down to a slim margin

Nearly four years ago Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly defeated Republican challenger Kris Kobach by 5% or about 53,000 votes.

In 2019 Kobach announced that he was running for the US Senate after Pat Roberts retired. He eventually lost his bid in the Republican primary to now Kansas Senator Roger Marshall.

Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is greeted by President Trump in 2016 at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.
Carolyn Kaster
Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is greeted by President Trump in 2016 at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.

Kobach has returned to the campaign trail this year, running for Kansas Attorney General against first time candidate Chris Mann.

Pittsburg, Kansas resident Bob Tomassi explained why he was supporting Chris Mann for Kansas AG.

“He was a student, then he was a professor, then he became a professional politician. You want somebody who has been in court and that’s what Chris Mann has been. Plus Chris Mann has been in law enforcement.

Kobach has not. All the credentials, all the boxes that you want to check for an Attorney General Chris Mann check and Kris Kobach does not check.”

A poll of 1,000 Kansas conducted by Emerson CollegeOctober 27 through the 29th showed that Mann had a slim 1.1% lead over Kobach with 10.8% of respondents saying they were undecided.

Since 2017 Fred Fletcher-Fierro has driven up Highway 171 through thunderstorms, downpours, snow, and ice storms to host KRPS’s Morning Edition. He’s also a daily reporter for the station, covering city government, elections, public safety, arts, entertainment, culture, sports and more. Fred has also spearheaded and overseen a sea change in programming for KRPS from a legacy classical station to one that airs a balance of classical, news, jazz, and cultural programming that better reflects the diverse audience of the Four States. For over two months in the fall of 2022 he worked remotely with NPR staff to relaunch krps.org to an NPR style news and information website.

In the fall of 2023 Fred was promoted to Interim General Manager and was appointed GM in Feburary of 2024.