When private equity fund founder Greg Orman ran for Senate in 2014, Democrats embraced him. Now that he is running for Governor of Kansas as an independent candidate, the Democratic Party has unsuccessfully attempted to have his name legally removed from the ballot.
One DNC party member in the state has even publicly stated that Greg Orman should be run out of town on a rail if he picks up a significant amount of the vote. The reason for the sudden animosity has nothing to do with Mr. Orman’s policies and points of view, as these have not changed since he unsuccessfully ran for Senate several years ago. Rather, Democrats fear that he will attract voters from their party, and help GOP candidate Kris Kobach win the race.
The move to oust Mr. Orman from the ballot is one that clearly show the Democratic Party is willing to use desperate measures to retain or gain power on any level. Democratic officials in the state had appealed to state officials earlier this month to remove Mr. Orman’s name from the ballot, claiming that many of the signatures collected to secure a spot in the race were improperly collected and/or notarized. Kansas state officials have rejected the Democrat’s request, noting that Mr. Orman had turned in more than twice as many signatures than were needed to secure a place on the ballot, and the overwhelming majority of these signatures are legitimate. The case could wind up in court, but the Kansas Democratic Party has not decided on its next course of action. and the election is less than two and a half months away.
Unfortunately for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Laura Kelly, Orman clearly has no intention of dropping out of the race. In the years following his 2014 Senate run, Mr. Orman wrote a book outlining why more independent candidates should run for office. He has already invested well over $600,000 of his own money into the race. He insists that he is in it to win, even though Kelly has dismissed his efforts.
In recent comments, Orman has made it clear that he is after moderate voters who are tired of the two-party system, and who wants someone who is willing to reach across the aisle and work with both parties to improve the lives of Kansas voters. At the same time, his views on abortion have shifted; instead of proclaiming his “pro-choice” views as he did in 2014, he is stating that he will focus on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in the state.
Ironically, Mr. Orman is not the only third party candidate on the ballot. Libertarian Jeff Caldwell and independent candidate Rick Kloos are also running for governor of Kansas alongside Mr. Orman, Mr. Kobach and state Sen. Kelly. However, Orman clearly has generated far more publicity and attention than the other two independent candidates. as is evidenced by the fact that Democrats have singled him out. Democrats are also blaming state officials, who all happen to be Republicans, for allowing Mr. Orman to remain on the ballot even though Mr. Orman is likely to not only pull in support from disenchanted Democrat voters but also some moderate GOP voters as well.
One would think that a Democratic candidate in Kansas would do well to focus on his or her platform, offering voters genuine answers to problems in order to get votes. However, the recent Democratic Party maneuvers in the state clearly show that Democrats there are more interested in looking for scapegoats rather than coming up with a winning strategy. Americans should have the right to vote for whoever they please.
~ Liberty Planet
