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Kris Kobach: From Trumpian apprentice to Kansas governor? | Kris Kobach: From Trumpian apprentice to Kansas governor? |
(7 days later) | |
Kris Kobach, a hardline conservative, has won the Republican primary for Kansas governor. | |
He won by only a razor-thin margin - 345 votes out of more than 300,000 - after his rival, existing Governor Jeff Colyer, conceded defeat. | |
Trump loyalist Mr Kobach is known for his outspoken views on immigration and voter fraud. | |
As a US Department of Justice official in 2001, he created a programme that required people from "higher risk" countries to be fingerprinted and interrogated when they came into the US. | |
Some men who lived in the US - and were from countries that were seen as a threat - were required to register at government offices. | |
The initiative, which was known as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, was criticised by civil rights advocates and eventually dismantled. | The initiative, which was known as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, was criticised by civil rights advocates and eventually dismantled. |
More recently he's claimed without evidence that millions of people voted illegally in the US in 2016, costing President Donald Trump the popular vote. | More recently he's claimed without evidence that millions of people voted illegally in the US in 2016, costing President Donald Trump the popular vote. |
Mr Kobach's positions on immigration and voter fraud may be unsettling for liberals. | Mr Kobach's positions on immigration and voter fraud may be unsettling for liberals. |
But his views are popular among individuals in power. | But his views are popular among individuals in power. |
The US president endorsed Mr Kobach's candidacy shortly before the election and may have determined its outcome. | The US president endorsed Mr Kobach's candidacy shortly before the election and may have determined its outcome. |
Mr Kobach, a graduate of Harvard, Yale and Oxford, serves as secretary of state in Kansas and has a history with the president. | Mr Kobach, a graduate of Harvard, Yale and Oxford, serves as secretary of state in Kansas and has a history with the president. |
After his election, Mr Trump considered hiring Mr Kobach for the US Department of Homeland Security. | After his election, Mr Trump considered hiring Mr Kobach for the US Department of Homeland Security. |
On a chilly day in November 2016, I watched him walk across the driveway at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to present his ideas for a new set of immigration laws. | On a chilly day in November 2016, I watched him walk across the driveway at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to present his ideas for a new set of immigration laws. |
On that day, a journalist took a photo of the documents that Mr Kobach was carrying. The papers showed his plan to block refugees from Syria, among other proposals, and civil rights advocates denounced him. | On that day, a journalist took a photo of the documents that Mr Kobach was carrying. The papers showed his plan to block refugees from Syria, among other proposals, and civil rights advocates denounced him. |
Mr Kobach didn't get the job. According to some media outlets, top Trump aides said he was too radical. | Mr Kobach didn't get the job. According to some media outlets, top Trump aides said he was too radical. |
Later, though, Mr Trump named him as vice-chairman of a voter fraud commission. | Later, though, Mr Trump named him as vice-chairman of a voter fraud commission. |
They never did find proof of widespread election rigging, and the commission was disbanded. | They never did find proof of widespread election rigging, and the commission was disbanded. |
While serving on the commission, though, Mr Kobach spent time at the White House. | While serving on the commission, though, Mr Kobach spent time at the White House. |
One afternoon, I ran into him in front of the West Wing. | One afternoon, I ran into him in front of the West Wing. |
I was surprised to see him holding a stack of documents in full view of me and other reporters. | I was surprised to see him holding a stack of documents in full view of me and other reporters. |
The lesson from Bedminster, New Jersey, and the public outcry he'd faced over his proposals had apparently not stuck with him. | The lesson from Bedminster, New Jersey, and the public outcry he'd faced over his proposals had apparently not stuck with him. |
He still refused to carry his papers in a discreet manner. | He still refused to carry his papers in a discreet manner. |
In truth, he's never hidden his views about immigration and voter fraud. | In truth, he's never hidden his views about immigration and voter fraud. |
Some people have been appalled by his policies, but others have embraced them. | Some people have been appalled by his policies, but others have embraced them. |
Yet his candour about his hardline views on immigration and voter fraud has now paid off, winning him the primary. | |
Some say he's considering a presidential run in the future. In the meantime, he's trying - with the support of the Republican Party - to become the next governor of Kansas. | |
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