By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
Ralph De Zago says he thinks legal experience should count for more than money and politics in the race for Kansas attorney general.
He says he has the necessary experience.
De Zago, 61, of Herrington, is seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general. He made the rounds through Southeast Kansas last week.
He likely will be opposed in the August primary by state Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, who also has announced his candidacy. The winner of the primary probably will face incumbent Democratic Attorney General Steve Six in November.
De Zago said he has handled thousands of cases during his 28-year career, both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney.
He currently is city prosecutor in Junction City. His law degree is from the University of Kansas. He served for 16 years as chief public defender for north-central Kansas, where he supervised a staff of 10 attorneys. He also served as an assistant attorney general under former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline.
De Zago said some positions — including those of attorney general, insurance commissioner and secretary of state — should be decided based on experience.
“Politicians, they tend to use these jobs as steppingstones to bigger jobs, whether or not they’re experienced,” De Zago said. “I’m appalled by that.”
He said other offices, including that of governor and positions in the Legislature, are appropriately based on politics.
De Zago said he won’t be raising or spending a lot of money on his campaign.
“I’m outraged at the amount of money politicians throw into these campaigns,” he said. “It’s a waste of money when people can’t afford to do that. The only way to get the message out is to waste tons of money, which I’m not going to do.”
He has served as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney in his career.
“What it comes down to is you need a fair defense representation and a fair prosecution representation to balance the system,” he said. “How the public perceives it depends on individual cases.”
He said the death penalty is warranted in appropriate cases.
“It’s not something to use carelessly or lightly, however,” De Zago said.
He said the recent debate in the Kansas Legislature over repealing the death penalty because of costs is an appropriate debate for legislators.
“The bottom line is my view of the attorney general’s role is to enforce the laws of the state,” De Zago said.
DNA evidence
Ralph De Zago, a Republican hopeful for Kansas attorney general, said he was an early advocate of using DNA evidence in trials.
