U.S. Senate, Kansas General Election, 2014 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Pat Roberts Incumbent | 53.1% | 460,350 | |
Independent | Greg Orman | 42.5% | 368,372 | |
Libertarian | Randall Batson | 4.3% | 37,469 | |
Total Votes | 866,191 | |||
Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results |
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November 4, 2014 |
August 5, 2014 |
Pat Roberts |
Pat Roberts |
Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] |
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Voters in Kansas elected Pat Roberts (R) to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014. Roberts, the incumbent who was first elected in 1996, defeated challengers Greg Orman (I) and Randall Batson (L) in the general election.
Previous polling and endorsements showed Greg Orman gaining popularity within a relatively short time frame. In October, NBC News/Marist polls found that Orman took a resounding ten point lead. Orman led with 48 percent among likely voters while Roberts stood at 38 percent.[3]
Due to his relative unpopularity, Roberts had Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Coburn assist him in a bus campaign tour.[4] After the tour, Roberts' poll numbers improved in mid-October, in which Public Policy Polling showed a narrow lead for Orman at 44-41.[5]
Chad Taylor (D) was set to be on the ballot in the general election but declared his withdrawal from the race. Roberts was previously favored in the August polls to win the re-election until Taylor withdrew. Taylor's withdrawal helped Orman, the Independent candidate, surge in the polls and threatened to unseat Robert from his position. The withdrawal of Taylor also made Kansas one of two states that saw no Democrat on the Senate election ballot. Though no Democrat was on the ballot, there was wide speculation that Orman would caucus with the Democrats if elected.[6]
Roberts faced a primary challenge from Milton Wolf, D.J. Smith and Alvin Zahnter. Wolf, a tea party candidate and physician, ran as a more conservative alternative to Roberts who was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote in 2008.[7]
Roberts was criticized after it was revealed that he did not own a home in Kansas. Many compared the situation to that of former Sen. Richard Lugar, who lost a 2012 Senate primary after a similar residency controversy.[8] Unlike Lugar, Roberts was able to win the nomination in the primary.
Democrat Chad Taylor withdrew from the race on September 3, 2014.[9][10] Despite a ruling from Secretary of State Kris Kobach that would have kept Taylor on the ballot, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled on September 19, 2014, that Taylor would be removed from the ballot.[11] After the ruling, Kobach said that Democrats were legally required to nominate a replacement candidate for Taylor by September 26. A lawsuit was filed by Democratic voter David Orel to force Democrats to nominate a replacement. However, the lawsuit was sent to a lower court.[12][13]
Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kansas utilizes a semi-closed primary process, in which previously unaffiliated voters can participate in the partisan primary of their choice (a voter who is already affiliated with a party can only vote in that party's primary).[14][15][16][17]
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by June 15, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014.[18]
Incumbent: Pat Roberts (R) was re-elected to his Senate seat. Roberts was first elected in 1996.
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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Early predictions for Pat Roberts' (R) run for re-election said that it was unlikely he would face a serious challenge in the general election in 2014.[28] He entered the campaign with $886,694 cash on hand, slightly more than he had at the outset of his 2008 campaign for re-election.[28]
If Roberts would have changed his mind about re-election, there was no shortage of potential Republican nominees, from both the congressional delegation and statewide offices.
In September 2013, reports circulated that Barack Obama’s second cousin once removed, Milton Wolf, was laying the groundwork for a potential Republican primary challenge against Pat Roberts.[29] Wolf gauged support and reportedly sent an email to GOP activists in August 2013 asking them to get in touch if they want more senators like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul before formally announcing his candidacy.[29][30] Roberts defeated Wolf in the Republican primary by roughly 7 percent.
Democratic primary winner Chad Taylor dropped out of the race on September 3, 2014. However, due to legal restrictions, the Kansas Secretary of State ordered his name to still appear on the ballot due to the face that he did not provide a reason that he would be unable to perform the job if elected, a requirement of Kansas law.[10] Taylor subsequently filed an appeal and the decision was overturned, thus removing him from the November ballot. Following the ruling, the Secretary of State said that Democrats were required to nominate a replacement candidate by September 26. Additionally, a lawsuit was filed by Democratic voter David Orel to force Democrats to nominate a replacement. However, the lawsuit was sent to a lower court. This delayed the case until the ballots were printed, effectively making it so no Democratic candidate appeared on the ballot.[12][13]
Independent Greg Orman surged in popularity in the weeks leading up to the election. Chad Reeves, a Kansas Democratic operative, said "What most Democrats know is that Orman would be better than Pat Roberts, and we want Roberts out. We wanted to win, this is the year to win, and Chad Taylor couldn’t be that candidate."[9]
The state of Kansas held an election for the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Pat Roberts (R) defeated challengers Greg Orman (I) and Randall Batson (I) in the general election.
U.S. Senate, Kansas General Election, 2014 | ||||
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Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Pat Roberts Incumbent | 53.1% | 460,350 | |
Independent | Greg Orman | 42.5% | 368,372 | |
Libertarian | Randall Batson | 4.3% | 37,469 | |
Total Votes | 866,191 | |||
Source: Kansas Secretary of State Official Results |
U.S. Senate, Kansas Republican Primary, 2014 | ||||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
Pat Roberts Incumbent | 48.1% | 127,089 | ||
Milton Wolf | 40.8% | 107,799 | ||
D.J. Smith | 5.8% | 15,288 | ||
Alvin Zahnter | 5.4% | 14,164 | ||
Total Votes | 264,340 | |||
Source: Kansas Secretary of State |
U.S. Senate, Kansas Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
Chad Taylor | 53.3% | 35,067 | ||
Patrick Wiesner | 46.7% | 30,752 | ||
Total Votes | 65,819 | |||
Source: Kansas Secretary of State |
Roberts had faced issues with Orman surging above him in the polls. Roberts and his allies countered through garnered support of Republicans and Super PACs. This led to the spending of millions of dollars on pro-Roberts and anti-Orman advertisements within the span of a few weeks. Roberts became more competitive in the polls and ultimately defeated Orman.[31]
Independent candidate Greg Orman launched statewide television and radio ads on July 10, 2014, suggesting both major political parties were responsible for dysfunction in Washington.[32]
Leading up to the election, Orman was noticeably silent on the state airwaves. Unlike Roberts, who was trying to publicly show he maintained his state roots, Orman had not spent significant amounts of time or money running campaign ads or making public appearances.
Orman's campaign mainly focused on social media strategies, such as gathering followers on Twitter. Many political analysts believe that Orman's limited public appearances could have been to further present himself as the opposite of a career politician who was disinterested in partisan politics.[33]
Roberts had reemerged as a popular candidate at the polls as mid-October pollsters showed him holding steady at within two points of Orman or leading by a slim margin. Roberts' campaign and Republicans poured large sums of money into the race in early Octobe. In that time period, Orman's campaign was only able to reserve $1.3 million worth of airtime while Roberts and his allies reserved airtime amounting close to $3.3 million. In response to the turn of events, various billionaires, such as Peter Ackerman and John Burbank, rallied to support Orman's bid and aimed to provide him the funding he needs.[34]
Wolf announced a $250,000 TV ad buy that started on July 2, 2014, and continued through the primary on August 5, 2014.[35] It was the Wolf campaign’s first broadcast TV buy.[35]
General election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pat Roberts (R) | Chad Taylor (D) | Randall Batson (L) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA October 22-26, 2014 | 44% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 10% | +/-4.0 | 623 | ||||||||||||
Gravis Marketing October 20-21, 2014 | 45% | 0% | 0% | 47% | 8% | +/-3.0 | 1,124 | ||||||||||||
Remington Research Group October 9-12, 2014 | 48% | 0% | 2% | 46% | 4% | +/-2.97 | 1,091 | ||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling October 9-12, 2014 | 41% | 0% | 5% | 44% | 10% | +/-3.0 | 1,081 | ||||||||||||
CNN Opinion Research October 2-6, 2014 | 49% | 0% | 2% | 48% | 1% | +/-3.5 | 1,025 | ||||||||||||
NBC News/Marist September/October 27-1, 2014 | 38% | 0% | 5% | 48% | 9% | +/-2.7 | 1,282 | ||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling September 11-14, 2014 | 34% | 6% | 4% | 41% | 15% | +/-2.7 | 1,328 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA September 4-7, 2014 | 36% | 10% | 6% | 37% | 11% | +/-4.2 | 555 | ||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling August 14-17, 2014 | 32% | 25% | 3% | 23% | 17% | +/-3.3 | 903 | ||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports August 6-7, 2014 | 44% | 40% | 0% | 0% | 8% | +/-4.0 | 750 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 38% | 33% | 4% | 14% | 10% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA June 19-23, 2014 | 43% | 33% | 0% | 0% | 12% | +/-3.1 | 1,068 | ||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling February 18-20, 2014 | 38% | 32% | 0% | 0% | 20% | +/-3.7 | 693 | ||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Hypothetical general election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pat Roberts (R) | Patrick Wiesner (D) | Randall Batson (L) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 40% | 27% | 5% | 17% | 11% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | ||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Hypothetical general election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Milton Wolf (R) | Patrick Wiesner (D) | Randall Batson (L) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 35% | 28% | 5% | 16% | 16% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | ||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Hypothetical general election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Milton Wolf (R) | Chad Taylor (D) | Randall Batson (L) | Greg Orman (I) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 33% | 34% | 5% | 14% | 14% | +/-2.9 | 1,208 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA June 19-23, 2014 | 33% | 36% | 0% | 0% | 18% | +/-3.1 | 1,068 | ||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports April 16-17, 2014 | 50% | 32% | 0% | 0% | 11% | +/-4.0 | 750 | ||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling February 18-20, 2014 | 33% | 32% | 0% | 0% | 35% | +/-3.7 | 693 | ||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Hypothetical general election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pat Roberts (R) | Kathleen Sebelius (D) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
Rasmussen Reports April 16-17, 2014 | 54% | 37% | 4% | +/-4.0 | 750 | ||||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling February 18-20, 2014 | 52% | 38% | 10% | +/-3.7 | 693 | ||||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Hypothetical general election match-up | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Milton Wolf (R) | Kathleen Sebelius (D) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
Public Policy Polling February 18-20, 2014 | 46% | 39% | 15% | +/-3.7 | 693 | ||||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Republican primary | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pat Roberts | Milton Wolf | D.J. Smith | Alvin Zahnter | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||
DailyKos/Google Consumer Surveys August 4, 2014 | 53% | 39% | 0% | 0% | 8% | +/-3.1 | 1,002 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 50% | 30% | 6% | 3% | 12% | +/-3.8 | 691 | ||||||||||||
GEB International July 9, 2014 | 42% | 30% | 0% | 0% | 28% | +/-4.28 | 500 | ||||||||||||
SurveyUSA June 19-23, 2014 | 56% | 23% | 4% | 4% | 12% | +/-4.4 | 508 | ||||||||||||
The Tarrance Group January 13-15, 2014 | 69% | 15% | 0% | 0% | 16% | +/-4.5 | 401 | ||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Chad Taylor | Patrick Wiesner | Undecided | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||
SurveyUSA July 17-22, 2014 | 48% | 17% | 35% | 322 | |||||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.
During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[36] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Pat Roberts voted with the Republican Party against the bill.[37]
Milton Wolf (R) compared President Barack Obama to Hitler, tweeting a comparison of Obama's treatment of "successful Americans" to the Nazi's treatment of Jews.[38]
In February 2014, Roberts faced criticism for his vanity license plates, registered in Virginia.[44]
Roberts had previously campaigned himself as a defender of Kansas agriculture, which was very important for the state's income. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Roberts had missed two-thirds of meetings within the US Senate Committee on Agriculture.[45]
Milton Wolf (R) told about 40 people at a rally on February 27, 2014, that he was "100 percent pro-life."[46]
Milton Wolf said he was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He also said he had a Kansas concealed carry permit and his firearm of choice is an autoloading rifle.[46]
Senate Conservatives Action, an arm of the national activist group Senate Conservatives Fund, reserved several hundred thousand dollars in airtime in Roberts’ re-election race. The longtime incumbent faced a challenge from SCF-endorsed physician Milton Wolf, among other candidates.[47]
Pat Roberts' July 2014 ad, "Breaking." |
Other endorsements include:
Candidate ballot access |
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Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season.
Pat Roberts (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
April Quarterly[60] | July 13, 2013 | $886,894.27 | $219,362.66 | $(78,359.35) | $1,027,897.58 | ||||
July Quarterly[61] | July 18, 2013 | $1,027,897.58 | $567,238.06 | $(103,406.91) | $1,491,728.73 | ||||
October Quarterly[62] | October 13, 2013 | $1,491,728.73 | $537,584.84 | $(193,001.32) | $1,836,312.25 | ||||
Year-end[63] | January 31, 2014 | $1,836,312 | $616,194 | $(204,690) | $2,247,815 | ||||
April Quarterly[64] | April 14, 2014 | $2,247,815 | $534,354 | $(535,447) | $2,246,723 | ||||
July Quarterly[65] | July 15, 2014 | $2,246,723 | $858,336 | $(1,052,256) | $2,052,803 | ||||
Pre-Primary[66] | July 21, 2014 | $2,052,803 | $56,122 | $(663,028) | $1,445,897 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$3,389,191.56 | $(2,830,188.58) |
During the last three months of 2013, Roberts reportedly raised more than twice as much money as primary challenger Milton Wolf.[67] A substantial portion of his contributions came from political action committees.[67]
Greg Orman (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
July Quarterly[68] | July 15, 2014 | $0 | $633,904 | $(82,294) | $551,610 | ||||
Pre-Primary[69] | July 24, 2014 | $551,610 | $37,418 | $(226,435) | $362,592 | ||||
October Quarterly[70] | October 15, 2014 | $361,592 | $1,700,389 | $(1,942,343) | $119,639 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$2,371,711 | $(2,251,072) |
Milton Wolf (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
Year End[71] | January 31, 2014 | $0 | $268,131 | $(88,899) | $179,232 | ||||
April Quarterly[72] | April 15, 2014 | $179,232 | $318,949 | $(220,356) | $277,826 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$587,080 | $(309,255) |
Chad Taylor (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
April Quarterly[73] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $85,344 | $(11,425) | $73,919 | ||||
Running totals | |||||||||
$85,344 | $(11,425) |
On November 2, 2010, Moran (R) won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Lisa Johnston (D), Michael Wm. Dann (L), and Joseph K. Bellis (Reformed Party) in the general election.[74]
On November 4, 2008, Roberts won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Jim Slattery (D), Randall L. Hodgkinson (L) and Joseph L. Martin (Reformed Party) in the general election.[75]
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