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Kobach, a national leader of the push to restrict illegal
immigration and pass more restrictive voting laws, advised
Trump's presidential campaign on immigration issues and served
as vice chairman of Trump's short-lived voter fraud commission.
Kobach, the current Kansas secretary of state, and Colyer are
running head-to-head in polls in a crowded primary contest on
Tuesday for governor of the conservative state.
In a tweet, Trump called Kobach "a strong and early supporter of
mine" and said he had the president's "full and total"
endorsement. "Strong on Crime, Border & Military. VOTE TUESDAY!"
Trump wrote.
Colyer, the former lieutenant governor, moved into the top job
earlier this year when Republican Sam Brownback took a job in
the Trump administration as a religious freedom ambassador.
Trump made no mention of the voter fraud commission in his
endorsement, but Kobach was the leading proponent of a theory
backed by the president that millions of fraudulent votes were
cast in the 2016 presidential election.
A federal court ruled against Kobach's claims of voter fraud in
April and held him in contempt for violating an injunction meant
to safeguard voting rights.
(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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