Kansas gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach could oversee his own race's recount

If there's anyone who's a self-proclaimed expert on election integrity, it's Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who might get a new shot at clarifying the true outcome of an important race.
Kobach ran a close gubernatorial primary race, leading incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) by just 191 votes as of Wednesday morning. The election will likely require a recount, The Kansas City Star reports, and Kobach could be the one to lead it.
Kobach, who had President Trump's endorsement and headed up the president's "misleading" voter fraud commission before it disbanded, is now in the unlikely position of overseeing the recount effort in his own race. Experts told the Star that there's no rule or law that prevents Kobach's office from being the one to oversee the recount, which could take weeks.
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"There's nothing in the statute that says the secretary has to recuse himself," attorney Mark Johnson told the Star. "But I would have to believe that in a situation like this, the secretary would be well advised to remove any appearance of impropriety."
Other experts said that if Kobach were to recuse himself, it would be due to political pressure, not any legal argument. Kobach's office has not yet commented on whether the candidate would step back and allow a deputy staffer to oversee the recount. Read more at The Kansas City Star.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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