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Court tells Kansas: Take Democrat off Senate ballot

TOPEKA, Kan. - The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Secretary of State must remove Democratic Senate nominee Chad Taylor's name from the ballot. The ruling could pave the way for an independent challenger to beat incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts.

The court's decision Thursday leaves Democrats without a nominee, but polls have shown that independent candidate Greg Orman fares better against incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts when Taylor is not on the ballot. The GOP has counted on Roberts winning re-election on Nov. 4 as they seek to recapture a Senate majority.

Taylor withdrew from the race earlier this month to avoid splitting anti-Roberts votes, but was thwarted when Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach - who is a Roberts backer -- declared that Taylor didn't fully comply with a state election law in submitting his letter of withdrawal.

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