September 18, 2026
LAWRENCE, KS — Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal released a report outlining an alleged pay-to-play relationship between Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and his corporate donors, identifying a pattern where campaign contributions aligned with Kobach’s decision to join lawsuits in his donors’ favor.
The Wall Street Journal identified large contributions from a Newsmax executive within days of Kobach’s decision to join the lawsuit against the Nexstar/Tegna television merger. This news executive, Christopher Ruddy, has been publicly outspoken against the merger. Kobach also received sizable contributions from DirecTV and Comcast, two companies also publicly attacking the proposed merger.
While Kris Kobach has claimed to join this lawsuit in an effort to fight for Kansas consumers, he has received at least $18,000 in direct campaign contributions from entities with an interest in seeing the merger stopped.
“This recent reporting calls into question the independence and integrity of our state’s top attorney. Kris Kobach received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions within days of making legal decisions in line with his donors’ wishes, leaving Kansas taxpayers to foot the bill for these lawsuits,” said Chris Mann, candidate for Kansas Attorney General. “This report affirms what most Kansans already know: Kris Kobach will do anything for personal gain. Kansans deserve an Attorney General who will make legal decisions based on what’s in the best interests of Kansans, not on who can write the biggest check.”
The Wall Street Journal’s reporting came just hours before the Kansas City Star released information regarding an ethics complaint filed against Kobach alleging several campaign finance violations, including illegal campaign contributions and a failure to submit required reports.
The Kansas City Star identified several illegal contributions received by Kobach, including a $10,000 donation from Newsmax executive Christopher Ruddy and a more than $16,000 donation from car dealership owner Steve Noller. The Star notes that since the complaint was filed, Kobach’s campaign has reattributed these overages to family members of Ruddy and Noller, instead of refunding the illegal contribution.
Kansas campaign finance law prohibits a candidate from receiving more than $4,000 for the primary and more than $4,000 for the general election from any individual or entity.
This is not the first time that Kobach has been investigated for violations of campaign finance law. In 2011, Kobach was fined $5,000 for inaccurately reporting more than $75,000 in contributions during the 2010 election cycle. In 2020, during Kobach’s failed U.S. Senate run, he was fined $30,000 for accepting an illegal in-kind contribution.
“After running for nearly every major office in Kansas and currently serving as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, there is no excuse for not knowing or following the rules,” said Leah Rymer, campaign spokesperson. “Kris Kobach either doesn’t understand Kansas campaign finance laws, or he is flouting the rules to improve his campaign’s financial standing. There shouldn’t be one set of rules for everyone else and another for Kris Kobach.”
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