Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announces he is running for Congress.

 Schmidt announced Friday that he will run for the Republican nomination in Kansas' Second Congressional District.

A native of Independence, Schmidt has served as State Senator from District 15 and was Senate Majority leader from 2004 through 2010. He served as Kansas Attorney General for eleven years before running for Governor in 2022 where he lost to Laura Kelly.

Schmidt is a graduate of the University of Kansas, earned a Master's degree in International politics from the University of Leicester in England and has a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Kansas's Second Congressional seat is currently held by Republican Jake LaTurner who announced last week that he would not seek reelection.