Topeka ? House Democratic Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence on Thursday endorsed Secretary of State Chris Biggs in the Democratic Party primary contest.

“Not only is Chris Biggs the current secretary of state, but he is the only candidate in the race that has experience managing a statewide office, and I implicitly trust him to spend our taxpayer dollars efficiently and effectively,” Davis said during a news conference at the Statehouse.

Biggs was the former Kansas securities commissioner before Gov. Mark Parkinson picked him in March as secretary of state to replace Ron Thornburgh who left the position to take a job in the private sector.

Biggs faces state Sen. Chris Steineger, D-Kansas City, in Tuesday’s primary election.

Davis said he has a great deal of respect for Steineger but thought Biggs was the better candidate.

He said Democrats must field their best candidate because he said he believed the Republican nominee will be Kris Kobach.

Davis said he feared Kobach, who has worked with officials in several states to write laws against illegal immigration, would pursue his personal political agenda in the office.

Kobach faces Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth “Libby” Ensley and J.R. Claeys, a consultant from Salina, in the Republican Party primary.