Kansas Democrat puts country ahead of ambition and withdraws from Senate race.
A Democratic candidate for the Senate seat in Kansas has withdrawn from the race, paving the way for a serious third-party contender against longtime Republican Sen. Pat Roberts — and jolting Republicans’ calculus for retaking the Senate.
Chad Taylor, a little-known and underfunded candidate who won the Democratic nomination last month, told the Kansas secretary of state’s office Wednesday afternoon that he is withdrawing from the race, a spokeswoman for the office said. That move could present Roberts with a strong reelection challenge from businessman Greg Orman, an independent candidate who, according to one recent poll, led Roberts in a head-to-head matchup.
Orman, 45, has shown some fundraising prowess throughout the campaign, raising more than $670,000 through mid-July.
The development could have serious implications in the battle for control of the Senate. Once viewed as a GOP lock, Kansas may now emerge as a critical race in determining whether Republicans return to power for the first time in nearly a decade. Republican outside groups — which had been mainly focused on four red states and battlegrounds states like Iowa, Colorado and New Hampshire — may be forced to spend money to save Roberts’ seat.
A mid-August poll of likely voters from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling showed Orman, a former Democrat, beating Roberts 43-33 in a head-to-head matchup, while Taylor was shown losing narrowly. Randy Batson, a Libertarian candidate, will also be on the ballot.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/democrat-withdrawal-threat-pat-roberts-110574.html#ixzz3CJCLRUQI
