2014 United States Senate election in Kansas

The 2014 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts was re-elected to a fourth term against Independent Greg Orman and Libertarian nominee Randall Batson. The Democratic nominee, Chad Taylor, withdrew from the race.

Republican primary
Roberts gained negative press attention after criticism that he did not own a home in Kansas, with some comparing the situation to that of former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, who lost a 2012 Senate primary after a similar residency controversy. Roberts owns a home in Alexandria, Virginia. The primary was held August 5, 2014.

Primary opponent Milton R. Wolf, a radiologist, was under investigation by a state medical ethics board for posting X-ray images of dead patients with macabre commentary to Facebook.

Declared

 * Pat Roberts, incumbent senator
 * D.J. Smith, former Osawatomie City Councilwoman
 * Milton R. Wolf, radiologist, conservative commentator and Barack Obama's Second Cousin
 * Alvin Zahnter, truck driver and Vietnam War veteran

Declined

 * Tim Huelskamp, U.S. Representative (re-elected to House)
 * Kris Kobach, Secretary of State of Kansas (re-elected as secretary of state)
 * Dennis Pyle, state senator
 * Todd Tiahrt, former U.S. Representative (ran for KS-04)

Polling

 * ^ Internal poll for the Pat Roberts campaign

Results
[[File:Kansas U.S. Senate Republican primary, 2014.svg|thumb|250px|Results by county: {{legend|#e27f7f|Roberts}}

{{legend|#ffb2b2|40–50%}}

{{legend|#e27f7f|50–60%}}

{{legend|#d75d5d|60–70%}}

{{legend|#d72f30|70–80%}} {{legend|#ff9955|Wolf}}

{{legend|#ffb380|40–50%}}

{{legend|#ff9955|50–60%}} ]]

Declared

 * Chad Taylor, Shawnee County District Attorney
 * Patrick Wiesner, attorney and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010

Declined

 * Kathleen Sebelius, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Governor of Kansas

Results
[[File:Kansas U.S. Senate Democratic primary, 2014.svg|thumb|250px|Results by county: {{legend|#6674de|Taylor}}

{{legend|#7996e2|50–60%}}

{{legend|#6674de|60–70%}}

{{legend|#584cde|70–80%}}

{{legend|#3933e5|80–90%}} {{legend|#37c837|Wiesner}}

{{legend|#5fd35f|50–60%}}

{{legend|#37c837|60–70%}} Tie

{{legend|#AE8BB1|50–60%}} ]]

Declared

 * Randall Batson, nominee for the State House in 2012

Declared

 * Greg Orman, businessman, who briefly ran in the Democratic primary in 2008 before dropping out.

Campaign
Republicans were worried about Roberts' campaign in August 2014, perceiving it as lethargic and inactive, that Roberts had a low favorability rating, and that internal polling suggested the race was rather close. At the behest of Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell as well as former Senator Bob Dole, Roberts fired his longtime campaign manager Leroy Towns in early September 2014. Chris LaCivita was brought in to revamp the race, and LaCivita protege Corry Bliss replaced Towns as campaign manager. Bliss urged Roberts focus on a strategy of tying Orman to President Obama at every turn, as Obama had low favorability ratings in Kansas. Roberts also began spending more time in Kansas, living out of a hotel in Topeka rather than from his home in Alexandria, Virginia.

On September 3, Democratic nominee Chad Taylor withdrew from the race. On September 4, Kris Kobach, the Republican Kansas Secretary of State, announced that Taylor would remain on the ballot because state law demands he declare himself "incapable of fulfilling the duties of office if elected" in order to be removed, which he did not do. Taylor challenged the decision, and on September 18 the Kansas Supreme Court decided that his name would be taken off the ballot.

On the same day, Kobach demanded the chairman of the Democratic Party name a replacement in eight days, saying he will consider litigation to force the party if they refuse.

A registered Democrat with family ties to Republican Governor Sam Brownback's campaign also filed a petition with the Kansas Supreme Court on September 18 to force the Democratic Party to name a new candidate. Kobach ordered ballots to be mailed to overseas voters on September 20 without a Democratic candidate, but included a disclaimer that another ballot will be sent if the Democratic Party names a replacement candidate.

The state district court in Shawnee County threw out the petition, meaning no replacement for Taylor needed to be named.

The efforts by Bliss and other Republican strategists would ultimately prove successful. Roberts' polling improved in October. Roberts defeated Orman in the general election, winning reelection to a fourth term in office.

If Orman had been elected, the U.S. Senate would have had three independent Senators for the first time in the chamber's history. This—and the question of whom Orman would choose to caucus with if elected—were very large questions in the electoral contest, and because the Kansas race was showing tight in the polls, a subject of considerable national political discourse as well.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 8, 2014
 * Complete video of debate, October 15, 2014

Polling

 * With Huelskamp


 * With Roberts


 * With Wolf

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent

 * Douglas (Largest city: Lawrence)
 * Wyandotte (Largest city: Kansas City)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent

 * Shawnee (Largest city: Topeka)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Atchison (Largest city: Atchison)