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Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, is seen in this May 21, 2013 photo in Washington, DC. Win McNamee, Getty Images

A key contest in the fight for control of the Senate could turn on the outcome of an arcane legal argument Monday over whether Democrats must field a candidate against struggling Kansas Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.

The case before a Topeka court centers on whether a state election law requires Democrats to pick a new candidate after ex-nominee Chad Taylor withdrew earlier this month. Some Democrats pushed Taylor out, viewing independent candidate Greg Orman as the stronger rival for Roberts and hoping to avoid a split in the anti-Roberts vote that would help the GOP incumbent stay in office.

Republicans need to gain six seats for a Senate majority, and the GOP has always counted on Roberts winning in a state that has elected only Republicans to the chamber since 1932. However, Roberts has struggled after a bruising primary and questions about his residency in Kansas.

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Greg Orman, an independent Senate candidate from Kansas, tells CBS News' Nancy Cordes how he'll decide which party to caucus with if he wins.

Orman, a 45-year-old Olathe businessman, is running as a centrist - promising to caucus with whichever party has a majority and play kingmaker if neither does.

"What I've suggested about that is if one party is in the majority in Congress, it's going to serve the voters of Kansas for me to caucus with that party in the majority," Orman told CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

The high-profile Republicans now streaming into Kansas to campaign with Roberts have charged that Orman is simply an unofficial Democrat.

"If he's independent I'm an astronaut," Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said. Along with McCain, Republicans like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Sen. Bob Dole have gone to Kansas to help the 78-year-old incumbent.

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Will Democrats have to put a Senate candidate on the Kansas ballot?

ALBANY - GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, the county executive in Westchester, received $907,669 in campaign donations from dozens of companies that got county contracts, according to a report to be released Tuesday.

The 47 companies, their principals, and subsidiaries that gave to Astorinos campaigns since 2009 received a combined 236 contracts worth $709 million, the report by the state Democratic party reveals.

Astorino has been critical of Gov. Cuomo for presiding over what he calls Albanys pay-to-play culture. He recently issued a 100-page report detailing $2.7 million in donations Cuomo received since 2010 from companies that won a combined $7.2 billion in state contracts.

The Democrats on Monday branded Astorino a hypocrite.

"From the perch of his glass house, pay-to-play Republican Rob Astorino likes to scold others about fund-raising practices he has been the poster child for, state Democratic spokesman James Freedland said.

Astorino spokeswoman Jessica Proud denied any pay-to-play, saying that county contracts are competitively bid and must also be approved unanimously by a county board that includes the Democratic chairman of the Board of Legislators.

He doesnt unilaterally approve anything on his own, Proud said.

Among the contributions to Astorino highlighted in the report is $59,550 from the lawyers at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, which received $8.65 million in county contracts.

The accounting firm of OConnor Davies Munns & Dobbins, which has $2.8 million in county contracts, contributed $30,550 to Astorinos campaigns.

And Astorino received $95,000 from those with ties to Sustainable Playland Inc., Astorinos preferred operator of Playland Amusement Park in Rye, which stepped away earlier this year after two years of legal and political battles.

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Democrats accuse Rob Astorino of pay-to-play in report

Congress reacts to Obama #39;s decision on immigration reform
Congress reacts to Obama #39;s decision on immigration reform Congress reacts to Obama #39;s decision on immigration reform.

By: News Pick

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Congress reacts to Obama's decision on immigration reform - Video

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. speaks during the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition fall fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth) more >

Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, says President Obama will poison the well on immigration if he acts on the issue unilaterally after the midterm elections.

If the president, in the lame-duck session of Congress, after the elections but right before a new session, tries to do some kind of an unconstitutional work around Congress, he will poison the well for immigration reform and make a political decision to not work on getting immigration reform, Mr. Ryan said on Fox Business Network.

The key, Mr. Ryan said, is workable legal immigration. The Democrat-controlled Senate passed a broad bill last year that boosts border security and provides a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, while the GOP-controlled House has favored a step-by-step approach.

What we want to do is just make sure national security is taken care of first, Mr. Ryan said. I mean, secure the border, have interior enforcement, actually get that done, actually verify that thats done, and then go fix the the other things that are broken with immigration. With ISIS, with heroin coming into our schools, this is a national security crisis. We have to deal with this border issue. The president hasnt, and thats whats frustrating to Republicans.

The issue received renewed attention earlier this year with an influx of young illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. from countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. To the consternation of many pro-immigrant groups, Mr. Obama ultimately decided to postpone any major unilateral moves on the issue until after the elections.

But Mr. Ryan said if Mr. Obama does decide to go around Congress, he will put millions of people in legal limbo and poison the goodwill in Congress to get anything done on a bipartisan basis.

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Paul Ryan: Post-election Obama action on immigration would 'poison the well'

Dr. Rima and Counsel Ralph Discuss the FDA/FTC Warning Letter
On August 23, 2014 Natural Solutions Foundation received a Warning Letter from FDA/FTC involving our First Amendment Protected Expressive Association communications regarding Ebola, Nano Silver...

By: NaturalSolutions

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Dr. Rima and Counsel Ralph Discuss the FDA/FTC Warning Letter - Video