Court: Democrats Don’t Need Kansas Senate Nominee

A Kansas court has ruled that Democrats can go without a U.S. Senate candidate after their nominee dropped out of the race against three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.

The ruling Wednesday is a blow to the GOP in a key race in the national battle over Senate control.

A panel of three Shawnee County District Court judges said a state election law does not require Democrats to fill the candidate vacancy.

The judges also said the disgruntled who filed a lawsuit to force Democrats to act didn’t prove his case because he failed to show up for a Monday hearing.

Some Democrats pushed their nominee out of the race because they saw independent candidate Greg Orman as the stronger rival for Roberts and didn’t want to split the anti-Roberts vote.