Independent Senate candidate Greg Orman to be on Kansas ballot

It’s official: Greg Orman, the independent candidate for U.S. Senate, will be on the November ballot.

The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office certified Friday that Orman had enough signatures to be on the ballot. The law requires independent candidates to collect 5,000 valid signatures, and last week Orman dropped off more than 11,000.

“I’m very pleased that Kansas voters will have a choice this November between the tired partisan politics of the past that have tied Washington in knots and made progress impossible, and a new, independent approach that focuses on practical problem solving rather than extreme partisanship,” Orman said in a statement.

Orman, an Olathe businessman, has said that if elected to the Senate, he would be open to caucusing with either major party. He will face U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Dodge City, and Democrat Chad Taylor, district attorney for Shawnee County, in November.

A poll from Rasmussen Reports released this week showed Taylor within striking distance of Roberts, trailing him slightly at 44 to 40 percent. The poll did not include Orman or Libertarian candidate Randy Batson, who also will be on the ballot.

This story was originally published August 15, 2014 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Independent Senate candidate Greg Orman to be on Kansas ballot."