This contest has become the Rubik’s Cube of Senate races. At the end of the day, it will be solved, but no one really knows how long it will take or how many different ways to solve the puzzle there really are. As a result, this race defies traditional analyses. Given what has become a complicated two-way race, polling is of little use. How the rift between conservative and moderate Republicans plays out is unknown, and whether the outcome of the Senate race is inextricably tied to the outcome of the Governor’s race is also an open question.
Here’s what we do know. Republican Sen. Pat Roberts thought he was on a glide path to re-election after winning a competitive primary in August, but Chad Taylor, the Democratic nominee, has withdrawn from the race, leaving the incumbent to face businessman Greg Orman, who is running as an independent. Orman has financial resources, seasoned consultants and a real campaign organization. He is running against Washington gridlock and partisanship; Roberts now symbolizes both problems. What Orman isn’t saying is which party he
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