Washington ( CNN ) -- Republicans in Washington say they are breathing a sigh of relief now that the Kansas secretary of state has ruled that the Democratic Senate candidate will stay on the ballot in November even though he dropped out . It 's a case of political whiplash for national Republicans , who just hours earlier scrambled to send strategists to Kansas when it suddenly became a head-to-head race between incumbent Republican Pat Roberts and an independent candidate with libertarian views , who would likely pull GOP votes from Roberts . The matchup appeared to make it harder for the GOP to seize the Senate majority . Now a GOP strategist tells CNN that Republicans believe keeping Democrat Chad Taylor on the ballot is `` enormous '' because he was only getting 30 % of the vote when he was actively campaigning . Republicans predict the Democrat will still get about 10-25 % of the vote on Election Day , making it easier for Roberts to beat independent candidate Greg Orman . The National Republican Senatorial Committee , which works to get Republicans elected to the Senate , was already dispatching veteran GOP strategist Chris LaCivita to Kansas , a GOP source tells CNN . The source called it just the first move to try to help bolster Roberts ' campaign , which national Republicans worry is lackluster and ill-equipped to run an unexpectedly competitive campaign . Republicans had also enlisted help from former Sen. Bob Dole , the longtime senator from Kansas and a former Senate majority leader , who was already scheduled in the state this week . A source close to Dole tells CNN he is playing the role as `` super consultant '' to Roberts , an old friend . The Senate race in Kansas just got more interesting . 5 Senate races to watch in 2014 . Republicans were moving fast because of the national importance of the race in the GOP quest to regain control of the Senate in November . The GOP has to pick up six seats to take over the Senate . Their advantage has been that they are only playing defense in two states : Kentucky and Georgia . Adding Kansas to the list has many implications , most immediately with money . After 30 years in Senate , McConnell tries to run as 'candidate of change ' Republican resources are already spread thin because there are so many neck-and-neck races where they are spending campaign cash -- mostly where they are playing offense trying to pick up Democratic seats everywhere from Louisiana to Alaska to North Carolina and New Hampshire and beyond . When Roberts narrowly won a GOP primary race earlier this year , Republicans thought he would have relatively smooth sailing towards re-election . Kansas is so conservative , it has only been represented by Republican senators for three quarters of a century . U.S. Chamber ramps up efforts in key N.C. Senate race . But then Orman began to climb in the polls . The three-way race was already making things tougher for Roberts , but on Wednesday night , Taylor abruptly withdrew , paving the way for a head to head matchup between Roberts and Orman , an independent running on a libertarian platform . Republican strategists tell CNN they had to drag Roberts over the finish line for his GOP primary race , and they hope he understands that he has to work harder than before to win re-election .
Kansas secretary of state rules Democrat must stay on ballot even though he dropped out . GOP feared with no Democrat , an independent could beat incumbent Pat Roberts . Independent Orman is running on a libertarian platform , which could take votes from Roberts .