KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in 12 years, there will be a contested race for Johnson County District Attorney now that a Democratic challenger has emerged.
Zach Thomas announced Tuesday on his campaign Facebook page that he has filed paperwork to challenge Republican Steve Howe for the office. Howe was elected DA in 2008 and ran unopposed twice for reelection.
“Folks, I would like to enthusiastically thank all of you who have already offered advice, prayers and support,” Thomas said in a Facebook post. “At this time, I would also like to formally announce that I am running to be your next Johnson County District Attorney.”
Thomas, a former Johnson County public defender who went into private practice in 2014, said he filed paperwork Monday with the Johnson County Election Office to be added to the Kansas ballot.
“Johnson County needs a leader with energy and motivation to get this job done,” Thomas said in a YouTube video announcing his candidacy. “I am that leader.”
Thomas, a Johnson County native, said he is running because “Johnson County has fallen behind and we need change.”
He said his top priority will be violent crime, “which has dramatically increased since the current district attorney took office.”
Thomas also promised to modernize the criminal prosecution process by utilizing drug and mental health courts “to ensure that our district attorneys are not wasting time and resources prosecuting low-level offenders over and over again while they lack the resources to successfully keep violent offenders behind bars.”
Howe and Thomas will meet in the Nov. 3 general election unless another candidate emerges for either party, forcing a primary runoff in August.
Howe ran against former Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline in 2008, winning the Republican primary by a nearly 20-point margin. He then edged Rick Guinn in the general election in November 2008.
