Chris Mann: "It shouldn't be Team Red or Team Blue, but Team Kansas"

Wichita, Kansas | July 27, 2026

By Claudia Amaro | Planeta Venus

In November 2026, Kansas voters will elect their next attorney general, who is the state's top legal and safety officer. This position is important because the attorney general must protect consumers from fraud, help victims of crime, and make sure state laws are applied fairly. Chris Mann is running to return the office's focus to public service rather than political fighting and is running against incumbent Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Mann is not a typical politician. He was a police officer and prosecutor, and is a father with strong ties to his community. With the support of the state's residents, he wants to change the Kansas Attorney General's office from being used for political purposes and back to focusing on serving and protecting all Kansas families.

For the Latino community and families with different immigration statuses in Kansas, this election is very important. In recent years, the current attorney general has used his position to file major lawsuits and take on the federal government on issues such as immigration. According to local activists, this has generated concern and mistrust in Kansas’ neighborhoods. The outcome of this election will decide whether the state's legal resources will continue in political fights or be used to solve real problems, such as domestic violence or phone scams, protecting everyone regardless of immigration status.

A public servant with roots in the community

Picture taken from Chris Mann social media

To understand Chris Mann's vision, it's important to know his story. He is a lifelong Kansan; He is married to a doctor and has two young children. "I'm actually coaching my daughter's softball team and my son's baseball team right now. So, in my free time, I have the opportunity to do that," Mann said in his interview with Planeta Venus, showing his closest and most human side.

Mann’s vocation began at home. As a child, he would watch his father, a policeman, go out to help the community and come back with stories of people he had supported. At age 21, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and joined the Lawrence police. "I absolutely loved the job because I felt like I was making a difference in my community and helping people," he recalls. But his career ended tragically when, during a traffic stop, he was hit by a drunk driver.

Instead of giving up after his serious injuries, Mann looked for another way to serve. He returned to law school, became a prosecutor in Wyandotte County, and then opened his own office to help victims of drunk drivers. He also became part of the national board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), where he worked to promote laws that would make roads safer. "I want to bring that public service to the attorney general's office," he says.

The focus on families, not migration policy

One of the issues of greatest concern to our readers is the constant threat of immigration enforcement by local authorities. Mann was blunt about this: the limited resources of the attorney general's office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) should not be used to do the work of the federal government. "The federal government has spent billions of dollars on immigration. We need to leave immigration to the federal government and help people right here in Kansas," he said.

This stance is not only political, but is based on his direct experience on the streets and in the courts. As a prosecutor in Wyandotte County, where many Latino people live, Mann saw the dire consequences of mixing local policing with immigration issues.

"I've seen what happens when trust breaks down between law enforcement and a community," he explained to Planeta Venus. "I had cases where victims and witnesses didn't want to appear because they were concerned about their immigration status. So victims did not get justice for the crimes that were committed against them. I want to make sure that everyone feels safe in their communities and that victims get justice no matter who they are." For Mann, the key is to rebuild trust so that the community knows that law enforcement is here to serve the people of that community.

Real Threats: Fraud, Violence, and Rural Support

If elected, Mann wants to focus the office on protecting the most vulnerable. He knows that consumer fraud has increased a lot, especially due to the use of artificial intelligence, and this has caused entire communities to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in scams. He also spoke of an urgent crisis: the rise in severe domestic violence. "What I've found is that shelters are almost universally underfunded and overcrowded. So the victims, often women and children, have nowhere to go to escape the violence," he warned. He pledged to work with other agencies to ensure there are safe places. In addition, he stressed the importance of helping police in small rural communities, especially in western Kansas.

When talking about his opponent, Kris Kobach, Mann draws a clear line between the profile of a politician and that of a public servant. While Kobach has spent his life in politics seeking his next public office, Mann says his own track record demonstrates a genuine commitment to the people. However, he acknowledged agreeing with Kobach in his recent adhesion to a lawsuit against Live Nation for charging excessive fees, which shows that he is willing to support anything that benefits consumers.

"For me, this office should not be political. It shouldn't be Team Red or Team Blue, but Team Kansas," he firmly declared. "To the extent that anybody, in any party, wants to help the people of Kansas, I will work with them. But the moment they hurt the people of Kansas, I'm going to fight them with everything I've got."

Community support and a message for the future

The Kansas community seems to be responding to this message of unity and safety. Mann's campaign has broken fundraising records, making nearly $800,000 in 2026, more than four times what Kobach raised. Most importantly, 83% of donations come from Kansas residents, which is evidence of strong popular support.

At the conclusion of the interview, Mann sent a special message to Latino children who live in fear due to the current political climate. Many of them make up nearly 40% of students in districts like Wichita's. As a father, Mann gave them hopeful advice for the future:

"I have two children of my own, and I understand that they are always looking at us, right? They hear everything we say and see everything we do," he reflected. "What I would tell them is: watch the politicians, see what they do and listen to what they say. And as you get older and able to vote, make sure you get involved and vote for the people who are there to help, not the people who are there for political agendas."