TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The Kansas Supreme Court is considering whether the state’s chief elections officer must fulfill a request from Democrats’ nominee for the U.S. Senate to remove his name from the Nov. 4 election ballot. The legal dispute has national implications for the GOP drive to take the majority in the Senate.
Here are some questions and answers about the dispute:
Q: How did the case end up in court?
A: Some Democrats nudged party nominee Chad Taylor out of the race with three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, expecting it to help independent candidate Greg Orman defeat Roberts. Taylor submitted a letter Sept. 3 to Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is a conservative Republican backing Roberts. Kobach said the letter wasn’t sufficient under state law for Taylor to remove his name from the ballot. Taylor then petitioned the Supreme Court to reverse Kobach’s decision.
Q: Why wasn’t Taylor automatically off the ballot once he decided to drop out?