Chris Biggs, who is a candidate for the Kansas Secretary of State Office, stopped in Emporia Saturday morning for a breakfast meeting with the Lyon County Democrats.
Biggs, who will run on the slogan “Common Man, Common Sense,” spoke to a small group of Lyon County Democrats at the Regency Gardens restaurant Saturday.
Biggs, a lifelong Kansan, attended Kansas State University and went to The University of Kansas Law School. He said he had a blue-collar upbringing and his parents put four kids through college.
In 2002, Biggs ran against Phill Kline for the attorney general’s office and lost by a slim margin — 3,800 votes. Biggs is running again, this time for a different office.
“I’m going to run based on my history of public service,” said Biggs, who was Geary County attorney for 14 1/2 years. “I think I’ve shown my history in public service. I think I’m good for this position.”
Biggs added that he also was recognized as prosecutor of the year. Before working in Geary County, Biggs worked in Junction City.
“I was effective as a prosecutor because I was fair,” Biggs said. “I’ve been a public servant all my life. I feel that people should be treated with respect regardless of their status in life — we all need to be respected.”
Biggs now works as Kansas securities commissioner for the Kansas Secretary of Commerce office. Kansas was the first state in the union to regulate securities in 1911, Biggs said, adding that Kansas drew up a law that before you could sell investments you had to be licensed and the investment had to be licensed.
“We deal with point of sale, individuals and prosecute securities fraud,” he said.
Biggs said the Secretary of State office keeps a lot of records and needs to be run efficiently — and run free of political agendas. A large part of the secretary of state’s office’s responsibilities is elections in Kansas.
“That office should be run by somebody as a manager, a public servant and somebody who listens,” he said.
“It’s not an office that should be political. You should be above that sort of thing.”
Biggs said he expects his Republican opponent for the office of Kansas Secretary of State to be Chris Kobach. Biggs claims that Kobach has a political agenda including immigration issues.
“You don’t run for Kansas Secretary of State using that platform,” Biggs said.
Biggs said he wants to run to protect the sanctity of Secretary of State.
“I feel like this is a winnable race,” he said.