JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Greg Orman, who’s running for the U.S. Senate in Kansas, says he knows about working with others because he grew up in a house with five siblings and one bathroom.
Those close quarters and a modest upbringing are far removed from the wealth and political influence he now wields in his home state.
He’s turned a longshot independent candidacy into a threat to veteran Republican Pat Roberts and the GOP’s hopes of winning the Senate majority.
Orman, a 45-year-old private equity firm founder, argues that his negotiating skills will help him break partisan gridlock in Washington.
Kansas Democrats nudged their own candidate out of the race against Roberts, turning the state into a surprise battleground in the 2014 elections.
Republicans need a six-seat gain to win the Senate majority.