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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Chad Taylor, Kris Kobach lawsuit set for Sept.16
ALLISON KITE
@Allie  Kite
U. S. Senate candidate Chad Taylor's lawsuit against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has been set on the Kansas Supreme Court docket for Sept. 16.
Whether Taylor is removed from the ballot, polls already show a shift in votes.
Last week Taylor announced his desire to drop out of the race, but Kobach refused to take his name off the ballot, saying he didn't meet necessary requirements.
Taylor is the Democratic candidate from Kansas, running against Independent candidate Greg Orman and Republican incumbent Pat Roberts.
After Taylor's announcement, Orman and Roberts are neck-and-neck in the race for U.S. Senate. Orman has 37 percent of the vote to Roberts' 36 percent. Ten percent of the voting population still supports Taylor despite his withdrawal from candidacy, according to a SurveyUSA poll published on the KSN-TV website.
Dakota Loomis, communications director for the Kansas Democratic Party, said he thinks polls show Kansans are ready for change.
"I think at this point all the polls basically show one thing, which is that Kansans are ready for new leadership across the board," Loomis said. "They're ready for new leadership in Washington, D.C. They're ready for new leadership in Topeka. Sam Brownback, Kris Kobach, Pat Roberts have all demonstrated what their priorities are. They're not the priorities of Kansas people."
Republican Party Chair Kelly Arnold said the Democratic
Party will have to nominate a new candidate if Taylor is successfully removed from the Nov 4 ballot.
Loomis said the Democratic Party is working to get this resolved.
"Right now we're just really focused on the outcome of this case and hopefully that will be resolved before the 18th so that there's a clear understanding for voters as to who is and who is not on the ballot," Loomis said.
"I think at this point all the polls basically show one thing, which is that Kansans are ready for new leadership across the board."
DAKOTA LOOMIS Communications director for Kansas Democratic Party
When Kobach refused to remove Taylor last week, he cited Kansas statute, K.S.A. 25-306(b), which says any candidate who states he or she is incapable of performing the duties can be removed from the ballot.
Arnold said the law was created to make it more difficult to withdraw from the ballot and disappoint voters.
"They saw that it was unfair to primary voters, basically disenfranchising all the primary voters in that election, by taking a name off the ballot," he said.
However, Taylor's lawsuit says the withdrawal followed instructions that Taylor and campaign manager Brandon Naylor received from Brad Bryant, director of elections
and legislative matters at the Kansas Secretary of State's office. A release from Joan Wagonnier, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, said Taylor also tried to contact Kobach directly before filing his withdrawal.
"Taylor went to the Kobach's office at 4 o'clock, and Kris Kobach was nowhere to be found," the release read. "Maybe he was out trying to get people to self-deport themselves. Maybe he was out trying to suppress voters' rights. He surely wasn't in his office working."
Loomis said the court would have to look at both sides' testimonies and evidence in order to make an informed decision.
"This is an issue for court, too," Loomis said. "I believe Chad Taylor has issued affidavits about what he talked to the secretary of state's office about and there's affidavits about his efforts to reach Kris Kobach."
Republicans beg to differ. The Kansas Republican Party released a statement that said Taylor should know how to properly withdraw from the race.
"Mr. Taylor is a lawyer, indeed, a district attorney," the release read. "A first-year law student could understand and properly follow the candidate withdrawal statute. Mr. Taylor's selfish attempt to leave hundreds of thousands of Kansas Democrats without a candidate is astounding given his total dedication to running just the day before attempting to withdraw."
Tomorrow's hearing will determine whether Taylor will be removed from the Nov. 4 ballot.
Edited by Kelsie Jennings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has refused to remove Democrat Chad Taylor's name from the ballot for the U.S. Senate. Taylor has sued Kobach. The case is set on the state's Supreme Court docket for Sept. 16.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chad Taylor, Kansas Democrats' nominee for the U.S. Senate, sent a letter to the Kansas secretary of state, withdrawing from the race on Sept. 3.
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