Kansas Supreme Court Removes Democrat from Senate Ballot

He dropped out of race, but battle ensued over removing him from ballot, thereby helping independent candidate

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday to grant Democrat Chad Taylor's request to be removed from the Kansas Senate ballot, issuing a blow to Sen. Pat Roberts's (R-Kan.) chances for reelection this fall as he faces a surging independent candidate.

"Taylor's petition for writ of mandamus is granted, and [Kansas Secretary of State Kris] Kobach is ordered to comply with his clearly defined duty imposed by K.S.A. 26-306b(b). He shall not include Taylor's name on any ballots for the office of United States Senate for the general election on November 4, 2014," the court wrote in its ruling.

The court's decision now removes an obstacle from self-funding independent Greg Orman's path, making Roberts's path to reelection far more complicated. Polling has shown him vulnerable in a matchup, but still competitive. But with Taylor out of the race, polling has shown Orman surging ahead of Roberts.