Traditional Republicans for Common Sense endorse Orman in U.S. Senate race

News Release:

SHAWNEE, Kan. — Independent U.S. Senate candidate Greg Orman announced today the endorsement of the Traditional Republicans for Common Sense, a coalition of Kansas Republicans who have served the state at every level of elected office.

Mr. Orman announced the endorsement Wednesday morning at the State Capitol in Topeka with three of the group’s representatives: Rochelle Chronister, a former state House member and past chairman of the Kansas Republican Party; Tim Owens, a former member of the state House and Senate; and Jim Yonally, a former state House member and current chairman of Traditional Republicans for Common Sense.

Traditional Republicans for Common Sense supports candidates at the state and federal level who embrace practical problem solving over partisanship, and their endorsement today of Greg Orman over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts is the group’s first endorsement in a U.S. Senate race in Kansas.

“The board of directors of Traditional Republicans for Common Sense has reviewed the qualifications of many candidates for office in the coming election. We believe Greg Orman is the best qualified candidate for the office of United States senator from Kansas,” said Jim Yonally, the group’s chairman.

“Our members know leadership because they’ve been in leadership. They’ve been on the front line, they’ve had to make the tough decisions. We think Greg Orman is the right leader at the right time to get our politics back on track and to get Washington working again,” said Yonally.

“I am honored and humbled to receive the support of Traditional Republicans for Common Sense. They believe, as I do, that the issues facing the country are simply too great for our politics to be tied in knots by partisan extremism and that we must get Congress back on track with pragmatic, common-sense leadership,” said Greg Orman.

“Their endorsement is further evidence of the broad coalition of Republicans, Democrats and independents who are joining our campaign because they are fed up with the broken politics in Washington,” said Orman.

Public Policy Polling: Third party candidates Greg Orman, Keen Umbehr show momentum in Kansas races

By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- If today's poll from the Public Policy Polling outlet is a great indicator of this November's races in Kansas, two third party candidates could each play a major role in the outcome of the two biggest races in Kansas.

PPP's poll shows that Democratic challenger Paul Davis leads Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback 39 to 37 percent. Meanwhile, Libertarian Keen Umbehr received nine percent of the vote. According to the poll, 65 percent of Umbehr's voters would choose Davis as their second choice.

It's the highest level of support Umbehr's received in a poll this year. It's the fourth poll from a third separate outlet that shows a lead for Davis. Brownback led a New York Times poll taken in July.

Umbehr is not the only third party candidate making noise in Kansas. 

In this year's U.S. Senate race, Independent Greg Orman is receiving nearly one-fourth of the vote. U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) leads the race with 32 percent of the vote. Democratic nominee Chad Taylor has 25 percent of the vote, while Orman checks in third place with 23 percent.

In a head to head race, Orman would beat Roberts 43 to 33 percent, according to the poll. Taylor trails Roberts in a head-to-head contest 43 to 39 percent.

More here.

Independent candidate Greg Orman qualifies for U.S. Senate race

By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Independent U.S. Senate candidate Greg Orman has officially qualified for the 2014 U.S. Senate race.

Orman submitted over 11,500 signatures to the Kansas Secretary of State's office. Signatures came from voters in all 105 counties in the State of Kansas.

The 11,500 signatures were more than double the required 5,000 number to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate.

“I’m very pleased that Kansas voters will have a choice this November between the tired partisan politics of the past that have tied Washington in knots and made progress impossible, and a new, independent approach that focuses on practical problem solving rather than extreme partisanship,” said Orman.

For more information about Orman's campaign, visit www.ormanforsenate.com.

Roberts defeats Milton Wolf in GOP Senate primary

By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- All eyes were on Kansas tonight as U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts defeated challenger Milton Wolf in Tuesday night's U.S. Senate Republican primary.

Roberts won 48 percent of the vote to Wolf, who won 41 percent. The remaining 11 percent went to candidates D.J. Smith and Alvin Zahnter.

Roberts earned over 125,000 votes.

In an interview with news reporters after his victory speech, Roberts said his new goal is to unite Republicans across the State of Kansas.

“We need the tea party. We need their passion,” Roberts told The Lawrence Journal-World. “They’re very upset with the direction of the country. I’m upset with the direction of the country. And we just have to know that we have to have a Republican victory to get that Senate back so we can stop the Obama agenda.”

While Roberts prevailed state-wide, Milton Wolf actually won the Kansas City metro area.

He won Wyandotte County by a 49-39 percent margin. He earned a slim victory among Johnson County voters and also carried Leavenworth and Miami counties.

Roberts will take on Democrat Chad Taylor and Independent candidate Greg Orman.

ELECTION REACTION: U.S. Senate candidate Greg Orman welcomes candidates to U.S. Senate race

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- While Republicans and Democrats fought it out tonight, one candidate had already "advanced" to the U.S. Senate race.

Greg Orman, an independent candidate, issued a statement on the races tonight.

His reaction:

“I congratulate the winning primary candidates and welcome them to the general election.

We all know that voters are fed up with the partisan bickering and finger pointing that has Washington tied in political knots. I have the highest hopes that this U.S. Senate race will be focused on the critical issues facing this nation and not on petty personal attacks that seek to divide us.

This election will present Kansans with a clear choice between more of the tired, partisan nonsense that’s led us to where we are now, or a fresh, common-sense, independent leader committed to reforming Congress and the way it operates who will make a real difference for Kansas and the United States of America.

I look forward to debating my opponents throughout the summer and fall while we continue our outreach to Independents, Democrats and Republicans across Kansas.”

Greg Orman to appear on ballot in 2014 U.S. Senate race

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Greg Orman will join U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts and a Democratic nominee in this year's United States Senate race in the State of Kansas.

Orman collected enough signatures from voters in all 105 counties to join the ballot.

More information on his campaign:

Olathe businessman and entrepreneur Greg Orman, the Independent candidate running for U.S. Senate, today announced his campaign has collected more than 10,000 signatures from voters in all 105 Kansas counties as part of the petition drive to qualify him for the general election ballot in November.

Mr. Orman made the announcement Monday morning in Topeka on the steps of the State Capitol one week ahead of the Aug. 4 deadline for submitting the ballot petitions. By law independent candidates are required to collect signatures from 5,000 registered Kansas voters to be considered for ballot access. Orman’s campaign is set to deliver their petitions to the Secretary of State’s office for official verification on Tuesday.

“Kansans are sick and tired of partisanship. They’re sick and tired of elected officials who are only interested in getting reelected and not interested in solving problems,” Mr. Orman said. “Voters know that we need pragmatic, problem-solving leadership in Washington to help the country get back on track, and this successful petition drive is more proof of the momentum our campaign is demonstrating as the only viable alternative to Pat Roberts in November.”

A KSN-TV/SurveyUSA statewide poll out last week showed that Mr. Orman had doubled support for his campaign against Sen. Pat Roberts in just four weeks since the previous KSN survey conducted in late June. Support for the party candidates either stayed flat or decreased as Orman’s climbed dramatically from seven to 14 percent.

Mr. Orman unveiled a statewide advertising campaign several weeks ago that’s now airing commercials on broadcast, cable and radio outlets in every Kansas media market.

For more information about Greg Orman and his Independent campaign for U.S. Senate, please visit the campaign online at OrmanForSenate.com.

Olathe businessman Greg Orman announces candidacy for U.S. Senate

OLATHE, KAN. ----- There will be an independent candidate in this year's U.S. Senate race in the State of Kansas.

Olathe, Kan., businessman Greg Orman announced his intention to run for the race on Monday. Orman graduated from Princeton University in 1991 and became involved in several businesses in Kansas.

He started Environmental Lighting Concepts, a business that designed energy efficient lighting systems for companies.

He later sold 70 percent of the business to Kansas City Power & Light, where he grew the business to make over a $1 billion annually.

More information from his campaign Website:

Hard work is a big part of the Orman family—Greg’s mother, Darlene Gates, raised Greg and his five siblings while working full time as a registered nurse. As her youngest children entered elementary school, Greg’s mother set an example for her children by going back to college to earn a bachelor’s degree, and despite the long work hours, she always made time to attend (and cheer) her children’s sporting events.

If the name ‘Orman’ is familiar, it’s because Greg’s father, Tim, opened a furniture store in Stanley, Kansas in 1971. Greg spent his teenage years working in the warehouse at the store, earning his first paycheck at 13. It was working at his father’s store when Greg learned that successful businesses take care of their employees, develop efficient, practical solutions to problems, and know when to take new directions. Those are the values—Kansas values—that Greg will bring to the U.S. Senate.

Greg now lives in Olathe with his wife, Sybil, and their two dogs, Lucy and Mala. Greg is involved with several businesses throughout the country, including Combat Brands in Lenexa, Kansas, and Sybil is earning her Ph.D in Education Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Kansas after spending 4 years teaching at the Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansas.

Disappointed in the broken partisan political system, Greg co-founded the Common Sense Coalition in 2010 to give a voice to unrepresented independents and other voters in the sensible middle and to seek common-ground solutions to the nation’s most difficult public policy issues.

Education and Business Background:

Greg graduated from Princeton University in 1991 with a degree in economics and joined the McKinsey & Company consulting firm shortly thereafter. In 1992, while at McKinsey, Greg started Environmental Lighting Concepts (ELC). ELC designed and installed energy efficient lighting systems for commercial and industrial companies. Orman left McKinsey in 1994 to run ELC full time.

As ELC’s CEO, Greg opened a second office in Kansas in 1995 before opening additional offices across the country. In November 1996, Greg sold 70% of ELC to Kansas City Power & Light. He then assumed management of KCP&L’s energy services operations and eventually the company’s entire portfolio of competitive businesses. He grew the business more than tenfold, from less than $100 million dollars to almost a billion dollars in annual revenue.

In 2004, Greg co-founded Denali Partners, LLC, and has been working to provide capital and management services to help small businesses grow since then.

Community:

Greg is active in the American Legion’s Boys’ State program—after being selected to attend the American Legion’s Boys’ Nation program in Washington, DC in 1986, Greg had the privilege of meeting President Ronald Reagan in the White House Rose Garden.

Greg credits much of his personal success to his participation in the American Legion’s program and has returned to Minnesota for over 25 years to deliver the annual commencement address to the Minnesota’s Boys’ State program.

Greg has served on the boards of the Kansas City Zoo and the Gala at the Glen for Cystic Fibrosis, and led the capital campaign for the YMCA’s Youth in Government program.