Kobach Decrees Kansas Democrat #39;s Name Must Remain On The Ballot
Kobach Decrees Kansas Democrat #39;s Name Must Remain On The Ballot.
By: Pratik121
The rest is here:
Kobach Decrees Kansas Democrat's Name Must Remain On The Ballot - Video
The Democratic nominee in Kansas has dropped out of the race for United States Senate, and there are several analysts who believe that this may actually end up helping Democrats:
The race for U.S. Senate in Kansas no longer has a Democrat in it.
In a stunning development, candidate Chad Taylor asked Wednesday that his name be removed from the ballot, paving the way for independent candidate Greg Orman to face U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts head-on in November.
After much consideration and prolonged discussion with my supporters, my staff, and party leadership at every level, I have decided to end my campaign for the United States Senate, Taylor said in an exclusive statement to The Eagle.
I have great love for the state of Kansas and the people that live here. I will continue work in their best interest every day, but effective today, my campaign is terminated, said Taylor, the district attorney for Shawnee County.
Taylor would not talk further about why he was dropping out, and Kansas Democratic Party chairwoman Joan Wagnon offered few clues as to the reasons behind his decision.
Were still assessing to see what this means, she said Wednesday evening. What I really want to see is Pat Roberts vanished from the Capitol.
Leroy Towns, Roberts campaign manager, called Orman a closet Democrat and said Roberts would prevail by running on his record.
Ormans candidacy, buoyed by television commercials and social media, has received national attention. Although he trailed both major party candidates in the polls, several analysts saw him as the candidate with momentum in the race. Taylors decision to quit came the same day that more than 70 former Republican lawmakers endorsed Orman.
Hes created a buzz for himself, and thats pretty impressive for an independent candidate, said Michael Smith, a professor of political science at Emporia State University.
Read more:
Democrat drops out of Kansas Senate race, which may help Democrats
JUDY WOODRUFF: And the other big political story of the last 24 hours is from Kansas. The U.S. Senate race there grew much more interesting late yesterday after Democratic candidate Chad Taylor abruptly announced that he was dropping out of the race.
That leaves independent Greg Orman to face off against veteran Republican incumbent Pat Roberts, who just last month survived a Tea Party primary challenge. And all of it could have far-reaching consequences for which party controls the Senate.
For more, I spoke just a short while ago to Jonathan Martin. Hes the national political correspondent for The New York Times.
Jonathan Martin, thank you for joining us at the NewsHour again.
So, why did this Democratic candidate, Chad Taylor, suddenly pull out two months before the election?
JONATHAN MARTIN, National Political Correspondent, The New York Times: Well, because, quietly, there has been pressure on him to get out because there is a well-funded independent candidate who Democrats think may actually have a shot to beat Senator Roberts this fall.
Pat Roberts is someone whos never really had a race, Judy. Hes been in Washington since 1980, when he first came to the House, came to the Senate in 1996. Hes never received below 60 percent. Why is it different now? Well, because he is somebody whos been attacked from the right for the entire year. He had a tough primary against a Tea Party opponent.
And hes made a few gaffes on the campaign trail that are connected to the fact that he doesnt have a home of his own in Kansas anymore. His primary home is in Alexandria, Virginia, in the Washington suburbs. And so he is somebody who was vulnerable to a primary challenge. He won his primary, Judy, in August, but only got 48 percent of the vote. There was some polling in the weeks after that that showed this third-party candidate, who, again, has been on TV because he has money, was competitive with Roberts.
And Democrats believed that if their own nominee was to get off the ballot and they could make the independent the de facto Democratic nominee, that they would have a shot to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Senate history, and beat Pat Roberts in Kansas, a state which has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, Judy, since 1932.
JUDY WOODRUFF: It would be it would be historic by political standards.
Read more:
How a last minute Democrat move could steal Kansas from the GOP
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach yesterday helped his fellow Republicans by preventing a Democrat from pulling his name off the U.S. Senate ballot.
It was the latest development in the re-election bid of incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts, who already has faced controversy over his questionable Kansas residency, and a serious Tea Party primary challenge. Its playing out in a state that tilts so far their way that Republicans shouldnt have to worry about it.
Former Democratic Senate candidate Chad Taylor learned that its not that easy to get your name off the ballot, at least in Kobachs Kansas. The secretarys ruling found that Taylor, a district attorney who had struggled to raise money for his race, didnt comply with state law when he withdrew from the race on Sept. 3 without explanation.
His sudden departure had drawn suspicion from Republicans that he was trying to boost independent candidate and businessman Greg Ormans chances of defeating Roberts by making it a one-on-one race.
Mr. Taylor did not declare that he is incapable of fulfilling the duties of U.S. Senator, if elected, the states top election official said in a statement. Therefore, Mr. Taylors name will appear on the ballot for the office of United States senator for the Nov. 4 general election.
The Roberts campaign was more explicit, calling Taylors withdrawal a corrupt bargain between Democratic leaders and Orman, according to the Associated Press.
Taylor, in a statement, said he planned to challenge the ruling and noted that Kobach serves on Pat Roberts honorary committee, a reference to the incumbents campaign.
He contacted the secretary of states office to inquire about the steps needed to terminate his candidacy and withdraw his name from the ballot and said he was provided explicit instructions as to the information required in the letter to remove my name.
When he submitted the letter, Taylor said he asked if it had all the information necessary to remove his name from the ballot and was told that it did. My candidacy in this race was terminated, he said.
The Kansas race has emerged as a wild card in the fight for control of the Senate, a battle where Republicans need a net gain of six seats to win the chamber.
Here is the original post:
Kansas Republicans Block Democrat From Exiting Senate Bid
Wyoming Democrat Richard Grayson 4 Economic Justice
Wyoming Democrat Richard Grayson 4 Economic Justice.
By: Richard Grayson
See original here:
Wyoming Democrat Richard Grayson 4 Economic Justice - Video