Topeka ? Democrats have put their hopes of keeping the attorney general’s office in Stephen Six, even though they acknowledge he hasn’t developed the political skills he needs.

Six, a Douglas County district judge, has never run for elected office, but Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed him attorney general last week. He’ll take over Jan. 31 for Paul Morrison, who’s stepping down because of a sex scandal.

Six will serve the remaining three years of Morrison’s four-year term, and some Republicans expect the 2010 attorney general’s race to be competitive because of Morrison’s downfall. Morrison spent $2.65 million on his successful 2006 campaign.

A top Republican Party official and a former adviser to Sebelius questioned Monday whether Six is ready to run a statewide campaign. Democrats assume Sebelius would appoint a candidate only if he promised to run, but Six hasn’t publicly committed.

“Judge Six is focused on getting up to speed on the cases and issues important to the attorney general’s office,” spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett said Monday. “It’s too early to talk about politics or campaigns.”

Still, Sebelius and other prominent Democrats believe Six has enough time to build a solid record as attorney general and pick up the campaigning, public speaking and fundraising skills he’ll need.

“She had no concerns about that at all,” said Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran. “First and foremost, she wanted to get the right person in the job.”

Burdett Loomis, a University of Kansas political scientist who once served as a Sebelius adviser, said the governor appears comfortable with someone who’s “pretty raw material” as a potential candidate because he appears “squeaky clean” and is willing to run in 2010.

But Loomis and Christian Morgan, the state GOP’s executive director, said Six seemed unprepared for a question about abortion during the Friday news conference in which Sebelius announced his appointment.

Abortion was a key issue during Morrison’s 2006 campaign. An abortion-rights Democrat, he unseated incumbent Phill Kline, an anti-abortion Republican. Abortion opponents repeatedly criticized Morrison afterward over how he handled investigations of abortion providers.

“The Democratic Party has a lot of work to do to get this guy ready for the kind of scrutiny that the people of Kansas are going to put on this guy,” Morgan said. “The office of attorney general is going to turn out to be one of the more hotly contested races in 2010, and it remains to be seen whether Steve Six is up to the task.”

Rising to challenges

Attorneys, Democrats and at least a few Republicans, have praised the appointment, describing Six as intelligent, thoughtful, hardworking and possessing strong legal skills. In accepting an appointment from Sebelius to the Douglas County court in January 2005, he showed he could tackle new challenges, said state Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates.

“What he really is not is a politician,” Gates acknowledged. “He’ll get to that eventually. He made it pretty clear to me that he doesn’t want to be too bothered with that right now. He’s got the office to take care of.”

But Gates said politics will intrude soon: He plans to ask Six to speak to the Democrats’ annual Washington Days convention, Feb. 29 and March 1 in Topeka.

Gates argued that Six, as a former civil trial lawyer, already has speaking skills that will help him in politics.

And Bob Beatty, a Washburn University political scientist, said it’s a mistake to view Six as a complete newcomer to politics. Beatty noted that Six’s father, Fred, served as a Kansas Supreme Court justice.

“I’m sure his father taught him some things about being in the public eye,” Beatty said. “People who have parents like that who are in the public eye have a natural advantage even if they’ve never run for office.”

The elder Six may help in another way: He was appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican Gov. Mike Hayden in 1988.

“I think he’ll do fine,” said Lee Kinch, a Derby attorney who serves on the Democratic National Committee, said of the younger Six. “I think he’ll have appeal across party lines and, no doubt, to the unaffiliated.”

Money issues

But Six’s ability – and desire – to raise campaign money remains a question.

“As much as you can say you’ll do it, sitting there, facing call time and calling person after person after person, day after day, after day, that’s incredibly hard work and absolutely no fun,” Loomis said.

Still, Loomis said between Sebelius and Gates, the Democratic Party has built an efficient operation for raising campaign funds. He said Six also should have help from the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, who have been strong backers of Sebelius and the party in the past.

“If he performs up to speed, there’s no question that, I think, the trial lawyers would support him,” Loomis said. “They’re willing to write checks.”

Kinch said Six’s job performance will be a key factor, and he’s confident Six will build a strong record that makes him an attractive candidate. Sebelius has the same faith, Corcoran said.

“We figured everything else would just fall into place as time goes on,” Corcoran said.