HOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated Press

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Independent candidate Greg Orman is walking a tightrope in Kansas as he campaigns against veteran Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.

Orman is projecting himself as fresh and authentic while acknowledging that he’s been both a Republican and a Democrat.

Roberts’ new campaign spokesman, Corry Bliss, says the senator is painting the wealthy 45-year-old businessman as a dishonest, flip-flopping liberal Democrat masquerading as an independent.

With less than two months before the election, Orman’s campaign manager, Jim Jonas, says the narrative for the campaign is simple: Washington is broken and Orman can go there and solve big problems without a lot of finger-pointing.

The race shifted dramatically last week when Democratic candidate Chad Taylor — with a nudge from Democrats in Washington — abruptly quit.