Poll shows Kobach leading in Kansas general election against Schodorf

Republican Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach continues to enjoy a comfortable lead over a possible Democratic rival, but still struggles to get over 50 percent.

A new SurveyUSA poll out late Thursday showed Kobach leading presumptive Democratic nominee Jean Schodorf 47 percent to 41 percent. Eleven percent of those polled for Wichita’s KSN-TV were still undecided.

A poll for the primary race against GOP challenger Scott Morgan wasn’t done, but an earlier survey showed Kobach winning that matchup with 61 percent of the vote.

But Kobach is still battling to get above the magic 50 percent number. A poll done by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State last year found that 48.5 percent of Kansans adults would vote to keep Kobach in office.

And another poll done last month for KSN-TV showed Kobach at 47 percent against Schodorf with 12 percent undecided. Schodorf is a former state senator from Wichita.

The most recent poll showed that immigration was the most important issue to voters casting ballots in the secretary of state’s race. The second biggest issue was voter registration.

Both issues are central to the race since Kobach gained national recognition for fighting illegal immigration.

He also pushed successfully for a new voter identification law. Critics say it’s kept thousands of Kansans from registering to voter. Kobach said the law was needed to keep state elections safe from voter fraud.

This story was originally published July 25, 2014 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Poll shows Kobach leading in Kansas general election against Schodorf."