Kansas voters registered as Republicans face three choices on the Aug. 2 ballot for the GOP nomination for state attorney general.
We enthusiastically endorse Tony Mattivi in the race. That’s not because we substantively support his positions on most matters of public policy. Rather, it’s because while speaking with The Star Editorial Board, he revealed himself to be a serious and thoughtful conservative voice with the attitude of a public servant, not a politicking showboat angling for national attention.
“I plan to be an attorney general who’s focused on being the Kansas attorney general, not on getting on Fox News, and not campaigning for whatever office comes next in a political career,” he told us.
It’s not hard to figure out who he’s referring to: fellow AG hopeful Kris Kobach, the failed U.S. Senate candidate. The failed gubernatorial candidate. And the failed former Kansas secretary of state, whose incompetence in the job was so profound that a federal judge ordered him to take remedial law classes.
Kobach has no business in public office ever again, but our support for Mattivi is not based on the weakness of his opponents. Mattivi was a prosecutor for nearly 30 years — experience that clearly sets him apart. He’s the only candidate in the race who has served in the Kansas attorney general’s office.
He began his career as a prosecutor in Topeka in 1993, and worked his way up to handling murder cases. He worked for the Kansas attorney general from 1996 to 1998 before being hired by the U.S. attorney’s office in Topeka to prosecute meth lab operators. His specialty? Sending organized drug dealers to federal prison. He found the work rewarding and challenging, he told us.
In 2007, Mattivi volunteered to go to Baghdad to prosecute war crime trials for the Department of Justice.
“I helped the Iraqi government try and convict members of Saddam Hussein’s regime, including Chemical Ali,” he said. He also tried high-profile insurgent cases at Guantanamo Bay from 2013 to 2020, he said.
We asked him what separates him from his opponents in the primary.
“I really believe the chief law enforcement official of the state ought to be a law enforcement official,” he said. “The Kansas AG is the chief litigation counsel. I really believe that ought to be somebody with a track record of success.”
We like Mattivi’s focus on Kansas’ business first. Both Kobach and state Sen. Kellie Warren, the other candidate for the nomination, have pledged to prioritize suing the Biden administration if elected. Current Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is running for governor, has made headlines by joining frivolous lawsuits against the federal government.
That’s not what Kansans want or need out of the state’s attorney general.
We disagree with many of Mattivi’s ideas. While it’s impossible to object to some priorities in his campaign literature — supporting the Constitution, upholding the rule of law — voters should be aware he has preemptively vowed to defend the so-called “Value Them Both” amendment to the Kansas Constitution that’s also on the Aug. 2 ballot. If the amendment passes, the Legislature will certainly move swiftly to drastically limit or outright ban abortion in the state, and Mattivi would be a committed ally to those efforts. We strongly recommend a no vote against the amendment.
Mattivi is also in favor of the death penalty and against legalized marijuana. He vows to “take the Biden administration to court to force them to enforce our border.” Last we checked, Kansas doesn’t touch Mexico, and we doubt he’s keen to beat back invading Oklahomans. Immigration is a complex issue, with plenty of state employers benefiting from breaking the rules themselves. Enforcement must be done through a Kansas lens.
However, we respect Mattivi’s forthright nature and willingness to share his viewpoints. Kobach and Warren declined our invitations to an interview, but their public actions and statements show they are closely aligned politically with one another, and too extreme for the broader Kansas electorate. Warren played a major role in getting the constitutional amendment on the ballot.
