Kansas Senate Race Gets Even Weirder As Republicans Fight To Keep Democrat On The Ballot

Republicans are fighting to keep the Democratic candidate in the US Senate race in Kansas back on the ballot as the state’s Republican Secretary of State said that Democrat Chad Taylor’s name must stay on the ballot.

Democrat Chad Taylor announced yesterday that he was dropping out and removing his name from the ballot, but Kris Kobach who is Sec. of State, and a supporter of incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Roberts said that Taylor did not meet the legal standard for having his name removed from the ballot.

Taylor put out a detailed statement that refuted Kobach’s claim,

Yesterday afternoon, I contacted Brad Bryant, Director of Elections and Legislative Matters for the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office, to inquire about the requisite steps needed to terminate my candidacy for United State Senate and to withdraw my name from the ballot. Mr. Bryant provided explicit instructions as to the information required in the letter to remove my name.

I proceeded to draft and deliver a letter to the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office of Elections, giving notice of my withdrawal from the United States Senate race. I specifically asked Mr. Bryant if the letter contained all the information necessary to remove my name from the ballot. Mr. Bryant said, “Yes” affirming to me, and my campaign manager, that the letter was sufficient to withdraw my name from the ballot.

Upon confirming that my letter would remove my name from the ballot, I presented identification, signed the notary ledger, and signed the letter before a Secretary of State employee notarized it. I again confirmed with Mr. Bryant that this notarized letter removed my name from the ballot. He again said “Yes.” My candidacy in this race was terminated yesterday.

2014 has been a fairly normal election so far. No Republican candidate has had to claim that she isn’t a witch like in 2010, or explaining to the country that only some rapes are legitimate like in 2012. Our first dose of surreal weirdness is coming from the supposedly politically dull state of Kansas.

Republicans are fighting to keep the Democratic candidate’s name on the ballot, because Sen. Roberts would be in grave danger of losing to Independent candidate Greg Orman. The Independent has promised to caucus with the Senate’s other two Independents who caucus with the Democrats. Republicans are terrified that Orman will unite the left and center of the state, and defeat Sen. Roberts.

Roberts is in so much danger that the national Republican Party has taken over his campaign. Republicans are hitting the panic button as they could lose a Senate seat in Kansas. This is the why the fight over keeping Taylor’s name on the ballot will be heading to court.

If Taylor is off the ballot Democratic chances of keeping the Senate improve as Republicans may be denied their majority dream by a Democrat, who quit in Kansas

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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