Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) is running for governor. That makes him the second Republican to officially throw his hat into the ring. The media friendly lawmaker stopped by the Capitol pressroom to tell us he has filed his campaign with the state Campaign Finance Board. He said "it has been an incredible couple of weeks." The young-looking lawmaker who's in his mid-30s added "there is an appetite for a fresh new leader for the party."
He's heard from a lot of delegates that he's the kind of candidate they could support, but they want to see who else gets in. The quotable conservative faces some tough female competition from fellow lawmaker Rep. Laura Brod and former State Auditor Pat Anderson. Kohls acknowledged "if Republican delegates decide to endorse a woman, I'll have a tough time." Most candidates say they'll need to raise about $5 million for a race for governor and forgo state spending limits. Kohls said "it's a big state and there's a lot of people to see and a lot of money to raise."