Derek Schmidt announces Congressional run for Kansas' Second District
INDEPENDENCE (KSNT) - Former Kansas Attorney General and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt is making a run for Kansas' Second Congressional District.
Schmidt's announcement on Friday comes after Republican Congressman Jake LaTurner announced that he wouldn't be seeking re-election last week.
“My family and I are grateful for the many friends and neighbors who have reached out to let us know they believe we have more to offer Kansas,” said Schmidt, a fifth-generation Kansan. “I feel a calling to serve, so I am excited to announce that I am running. I strongly believe that America needs more effective, conservative voices in public service."
Schmidt touted his record as Kansas Attorney General in a press release on Friday, emphasizing his record of prosecuting criminals, including "numerous illegal aliens who committed crimes in Kansas." He also talked about his experience leading initiatives to protect children from sexual predators and protecting older Kansans from financial and physical abuse. He said he proudly represented Kansas before the United States Supreme Court, personally arguing three cases and winning all of them. He also talked about his lawsuits against the Obama and Biden Administrations when their actions were illegal and harmful to Kansas.
Schmidt issued the following statement:
"President Biden and the radicals he enables have unleashed a dangerous agenda on our country. Those of us who represent Kansas conservative values need to stand up and fight back. In Congress, I will work to secure our border, fight overreach from a federal government that doesn't understand or respect our way of life, and stop the federal government from making daily life increasingly expensive and difficult.
"My steady guidepost will be what is best for the people of the Second District and for America. These past four years have made clear that America was stronger when President Trump served in the White House, and I look forward to working with him and others next year – yes, to truly make America great again.
"Kansans know me and my longstanding support for our freedoms that generations of Americans have sacrificed so much to defend, for law and order, for Veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces, for farmers and ranchers, for small businesses, for our great Kansas colleges and universities, for life, and for the Second Amendment. They know I am proud to be a Kansan. Always have been. It would be an honor to be your voice in Congress. I respectfully ask for your vote."
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