Print edition: 
TOPEKA — Democrats are questioning whether Secretary of State Kris Kobach can regulate elections while working on political campaigns.
Leading Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Paul Davis and Sen. Anthony Hensley, took aim Friday at Kobach for his role as an “honorary” campaign chairman in a state Senate race.
Kobach, a Republican, is listed as an advisory member for the campaign of Mark Gilstrap, another Republican who is vying for the seat now held by Democratic Sen. Kelly Kultala of Kansas City, Kan.
But Kobach said there is no national rule that prevents him from endorsing candidates. He said previous Kansas secretaries of state have endorsed in the past.
“The Democrats seem to have selective memory,” Kobach said. “This is nothing unusual.”
Kobach suggested the Democrats might be particularly angry in this case because he is backing a candidate who once was a conservative member of their party.
The Democrats’ complaint went further, noting that Kobach also has been campaigning out-of-state for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
“I have a real concern about the chief elections officer getting directly involved in partisan political campaigns,” said Davis, the House minority leader.
“Previous secretaries of state have bent over backward to stay out of partisan political events to the best that they can,” Davis added. “We have always had people who have occupied that office stay above the fray.”
Davis said Kobach’s role in political campaigns compromises the integrity of an office that is counted on to tabulate state elections.
Democrats also questioned whether Kobach is complying with the constitution of the National Association of Secretaries of States that states its members should place their loyalty to the state and federal constitutions above private or political gain.
Kobach dismissed questions about his integrity being compromised, noting that there are elected county clerks across the state who are responsible for administering elections.
