Ken Selzer, insurance commissioner for Kansas, has revealed that he is running for governor and says that he will make a formal announcement later this month.
The commissioner has filed an appointment of treasurer form, which allows him to start raising and spending money in his campaign bid as governor of Kansas.
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In an interview with
The Topeka Capital-Journal, Selzer said that he was building the campaign organization and would be focused on raising more funds in the next few weeks. He also revealed that he would likely declare his campaign priorities alongside his formal announcement later this month.
“We have an excellent track record and look forward to talking about fiscal responsibility,” he stated. “I am a CPA, and we’ll continue to talk about what we can bring to the state of Kansas from an efficiency standpoint.”
Last month, Kansas GOP Executive Director Clay Barker said that Selzer had discussed running with other members of the state party, but he had not filed any paperwork at the time.
Selzer said that he thought he could take a “common sense” approach to keeping government expenses low, but he could not say where government spending might be cut. He did mention, however, how his insurance department was able to cut down its staff by approximately 15% through attrition.
Former state Sen. Jim Barnett, another Republican vying for the role, explained in a statement that he welcomed Selzer throwing his hat into the ring and that he thought voters should choose whom they think is the better candidate.
“I believe they are looking for someone that offers realistic answers for funding our schools, highways, KPERS and keeping our hospitals open,” said Barnett.
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