(The Center Square) – Consumers’ Research has named Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach as its latest Consumers’ Champion Award recipient.
The group will present the award to Kobach on Tuesday recognizing what it calls his years of leadership in defending competitive markets, protecting consumers from efforts to restrict domestic energy production, and investigating Chinese influence in the U.S. economy.
“Attorney General Kobach is a true fighter that consumers can depend on to defend them in battle against woke capitalism,” Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, said. “For too long, ideological activists such as BlackRock CEO Larry Fink have unfairly harmed millions of Americans’ pocketbooks while attacking their values.”
The organization cited Kobach’s work on an antitrust lawsuit against major financial firms BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street. Those companies have supported Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment standards that critics say increase energy costs.
Kobach and 10 other state attorneys general accused the firms of violating antitrust laws and deceiving investors by using their influence to reduce coal production, driving up prices for consumers.
“Attorney General Kobach repeatedly leads the charge against the woke corporate giants that prioritize political ideology over consumer interests,” Hild said. “Consumers’ Research is proud to recognize his achievements, and we look forward to partnering with him for years to come.”
The group also highlighted Kobach’s investigation into Wells Fargo’s membership in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, which it said led the company to abandon its ESG policies. Hild called that a major victory for investors.
Kobach has also focused on Chinese interference in American energy markets. Earlier this year, he asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Chinese Communist Party’s alleged involvement in lawsuits designed to restrict domestic energy production.
“It is an honor to receive this award in recognition of my work on behalf of the people of Kansas,” Kobach said. “Consumers deserve protection against corporate bullies who too often use their vast power and resources to push a woke political agenda instead of putting the interests of consumers first.”
Past Consumers’ Champion Award recipients include Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, and a few state legislators.
Consumers’ Research was founded in 1929 and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on increasing public understanding of issues, policies, products, and services that impact consumers.
