Schmidt files for attorney general

TOPEKA – Senate Republican Leader Derek Schmidt filed Wednesday for the state attorney general race.

Schmidt, of Independence, had announced his plans to run for the state’s top prosecutor position last fall. He will face off against Ralph DeZago, city prosecutor for Junction City and former assistant attorney general, in the Republican primary in August. The winner will face incumbent Attorney General Steve Six, a Democrat, in the November election.

“Kansans deserve an elected attorney general who understands our state’s needs and will stand up for our interests,” said Schmidt, R-Independence, who noted that five of the six current statewide officeholders were not elected to the positions they now hold. “In November, Kansas voters can again take charge of our state.”

A former assistant Kansas attorney general and current city prosecutor, Schmidt also served as special counsel to Gov. Bill Graves and as general counsel to U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska. He worked his way through law school while serving on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum of Kansas.

This story was originally published June 9, 2010 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Schmidt files for attorney general."