Kansas Senate race shake up leaves Republican incumbent vulnerable
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts raises his arms in the air as a crowd of supporters cheer for him on Tuesday Aug. 5, 2014, while watching primary votes come in at the Overland Park, Kan., Marriott Hotel. AP Photo/Topeka Capital-Journal, Chris Neal
Last Updated Sep 4, 2014 6:05 PM EDT
The Kansas Senate race has been shaken up just two months before the midterm elections, leaving Republican Sen. Pat Roberts in an unexpectedly vulnerable position.
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A CBS News/New York Times analysis shows the Republicans slightly favored to take the Senate in November's congressional elections, but control ...
With polling showing that the Democrat-turned-independent candidate in the race, Greg Orman, stood the best chance of beating Roberts on Election Day, Democratic nominee Chad Taylor, a district attorney, announced Wednesday he was dropping out of the race.
The trouble is, the Kansas Secretary of State says he can't get his name off the ballot.
Kris Kobach, the Secretary of State and a well-known figure in Republican circles, said that Taylor would have had to declare himself "incapable of fulfilling the duties of office if elected" in a written request to remove his name by Sept. 3.
"After conferring with the office of the Kansas Attorney General, I have concluded that the written request filed by Mr. Taylor does not meet the requirements...because Mr. Taylor did not declare that he is incapable of fulfilling the duties of U.S. Senator if elected," Kobach said in a statement Thursday. "Therefore, Mr. Taylor's name will appear on the ballot for the office of United States Senator for the November 4 general election."
Taylor's request to withdraw on Sept. 3, provided to CBS News by the Secretary of State's office, merely said, "I, Chadwick J. Taylor, Democratic nominee for the United States Senate race, do hereby withdraw my nomination for election effective immediately and request my name be withdrawn from the ballot, pursuant to KSA 25-306b(b)."
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Kansas Senate race shake up leaves Republican incumbent vulnerable