Greg Orman

Gregory John Orman
Born	(1968-12-02) December 2, 1968 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman, political figure
Known for	2014 United States Senate race in Kansas (independent candidate)

Gregory John Orman (born December 2, 1968) is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and political figure. In the 2014 United States Senate race for Kansas, he campaigned as an independent candidate, earning 42.5% of the vote but ultimately losing to the sitting Senator Pat Roberts.

On January 24, 2018, Orman declared his independent candidacy for the position of Kansas governor in the 2018 election. Following the August primary elections, polls placed him at 19%, behind Democrat Laura Kelly at 32% and Republican Kris Kobach at 38%. By mid-September, Orman halted television advertising and fundraising efforts, concluding the general election with approximately 6.5% of the vote.

Background

Orman was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Mankato, Minnesota, as the second eldest among six siblings. After his parents divorced, his mother, a registered nurse and Democrat, was awarded custody; his father, a Republican, co-owned a furniture business in Stanley, Kansas. During his childhood, Orman divided his time between both parents and spent summers working in his father’s warehouse.

He graduated as co-valedictorian from Mankato East Senior High School in 1987 and served as national President of Boys Nation in 1986, during which he met President Reagan. In 1991, Orman earned a magna cum laude degree in economics and finance from Princeton University, actively participating in the College Republicans and contributing to George H. W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign. By 1992, he shifted support to independent candidate Ross Perot.

Orman holds board memberships with various nonprofit organizations such as Unite America, the National Police Foundation, and American Public Square at Jewell College, underscoring his commitment to public policy and civic engagement.

Business career

Following graduation, Orman joined consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. At age 23, he founded Environmental Lighting Concepts LLC, specializing in designing and installing energy-efficient lighting solutions for commercial and industrial sectors. Within four years, he expanded the company into a multimillion-dollar enterprise employing 120 staff members.

In 1996, Kansas City Power & Light purchased a 70% interest in Orman’s firm and appointed him to lead its subsidiary KLT Energy Services. Over a six-year period, he grew KLT’s revenue from under $100 million to nearly $1 billion before departing in 2002. Drue Jennings, then CEO of Kansas City Power & Light, commended Orman for his discipline and strategic vision.

Orman co-founded private equity firm Denali Partners LLC in 2004 and acts as Managing Member of Exemplar Holdings, LLC. Exemplar's investments encompass Combat Brands (manufacturer of boxing equipment), Ripple Glass (operating glass recycling programs across six states), Exemplar Medical (focused on healthcare cost reduction), Exemplar Finance (providing capital equipment financing for energy-efficient initiatives), Dragon Jacket (producer of reusable pipe insulation), along with an affordable housing subsidiary targeting community development.

On December 28, 2015, Combat Brands acquired Fitness First—a Kansas City-based supplier of fitness equipment—broadening Combat’s product range while retaining all existing employees. In July 2020, Orman transitioned ownership of Combat Brands to its workforce through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, designed to reward key personnel and maintain local operations. Doug Skeens, CEO of Combat Brands, stated that the ESOP enhanced employee morale, collaboration, engagement, and financial security.

Orman maintains both professional and personal connections with former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, having served as Gupta’s designated representative on the board of private equity fund New Silk Route from April 2013 to March 2014. Following Gupta’s conviction for insider trading in 2012, Orman characterized him as a friend who committed a serious error and is facing consequences accordingly. Reports confirm that Gupta’s conviction was unrelated to any business transactions involving Orman.

Political career

Since 2010, Orman has identified as an independent, having previously been registered with both the Republican and Democratic parties. Reflecting on his experiences during a 2014 debate, he remarked, "I've tried both parties, and, like most Kansans, I've been disappointed."

His financial support has extended to candidates from both major political parties. In 2006, while contemplating a Democratic Senate bid, Orman donated $1,000 to Harry Reid and contributed $4,600 toward the 2008 presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Donation records also indicate contributions to the Democratic Party and figures such as Dennis Moore, Nancy Boyda, and Senator Al Franken.

On the Republican side, Orman made donations to Todd Akin in 2006 and Scott Brown in 2010. He clarified that his support for Brown was partly motivated by opposition to Obamacare, expressing skepticism that the Affordable Care Act would lower healthcare expenses. However, Orman later criticized Republican efforts to repeal the law as unrealistic given President Obama's veto power, describing these efforts as "a hollow political promise they can't keep."

Orman briefly sought the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S. Senate election in Kansas but withdrew prior to the primary. He cited discomfort with party pressures to adopt certain stances necessary to secure voter support as his reason for stepping aside.

2014 U.S. Senate election

In Kansas's 2014 U.S. Senate election, Orman entered the race as an independent candidate after successfully gathering enough signatures to qualify for the general election ballot.

He faced off against incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts. Following Democrat Chad Taylor’s withdrawal on September 3 to prevent vote splitting, Orman emerged as Roberts’ principal opponent.

The organization Traditional Republicans for Common Sense, consisting of roughly 70 former Republican officials, endorsed Orman on September 3, 2014. Chairman Jim Yonally described him as "the best-qualified candidate," although some members eventually shifted their support back to Roberts. Despite this endorsement, Orman received minimal backing from prominent politicians or established organizations, including those within the Democratic Party.

Post-election fundraising disclosures revealed that Orman's campaign benefited from $1.5 million supplied by Senate Majority PAC (associated with former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid), $1 million from Independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and contributions from Republican donors such as Peter Ackerman and Greg Penner.

Due to its potential influence on Senate control, NBC News labeled Orman "the most interesting man in politics" during 2014. A victory for him would have resulted in three independents serving simultaneously in the Senate for the first time ever.

Potential caucus affiliation

Ahead of the 2014 Senate elections, Orman was positioned to play a crucial role in determining the Senate Majority Leader because of the chamber's composition. He indicated he would caucus with whichever party held a majority, emphasizing that it was vital for Kansas constituents to have representation aligned with the majority party. Should he hold a decisive vote, Orman intended to require commitments from both parties on key matters such as immigration reform and tax policy before making his choice. Moreover, he stated that if after several months his chosen party engaged in partisan gridlock, he would consider switching caucuses to alter control of the Senate. This strategy underscored his focus on pragmatic governance rather than strict party allegiance.

Orman's voting history includes supporting Barack Obama in 2008 and Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. In 2010, he established the Common Sense Coalition aimed at advancing "the sensible middle."

Election outcome

Although early November polls showed Orman ahead of incumbent Pat Roberts, the final tally saw Orman losing with 43% of the vote to Roberts's 53%, while the remaining ballots were cast for another candidate outside the two major parties. The Washington Post characterized Roberts's victory as a "rescue mission." After falling behind by as much as 10 percentage points in September, Roberts's campaign underwent significant restructuring and gained substantial national GOP backing, featuring campaign stops by Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Bob Dole throughout Kansas. Outside organizations poured nearly $10 million into supporting Roberts and approximately $6 million opposing Orman.

On April 29, 2015, Lincoln Park Strategies published its PAAR (Percent Above Anticipated Results) report analyzing the 2014 Senate contests. Orman's independent run achieved the highest positive PAAR score of 10.8, signifying he diminished Roberts's projected vote share by 12 points. Although Roberts secured the seat, Orman's campaign was acknowledged for surpassing expectations more than any other candidate from either party.

Policy stances

Joan Wagnon, Chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, highlighted Orman's concurrence with Democrats on certain issues such as gun control measures and reproductive rights. Orman characterizes himself as "a problem solver rather than a partisan," embracing a philosophy that is "fiscally prudent and socially inclusive." He supports comprehensive tax reform, expresses apprehension about entitlement spending's effects on the federal deficit, and endorses some proposals from former Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan.

He advocates for reforming campaign finance laws by enhancing transparency requirements, imposing contribution limits, and pursuing a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United ruling. Additionally, Orman calls for banning political action committees established by congressional leaders and prohibiting lobbyist PAC contributions to candidates.

While he refrained from stating whether he would have supported the Dodd–Frank Act, Orman favors easing regulations on community and regional banks. In 2014, he promoted ongoing development of oil and gas resources in conjunction with alternative energy sources such as compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas, and electric vehicles.

As a firearm owner himself, Orman endorses universal background checks and sensible gun laws that balance constitutional rights with public safety concerns. Regarding healthcare, he opposed the Affordable Care Act in 2009 due to its failure to address fundamental systemic problems and advocates prioritizing affordability in healthcare reform.

On immigration matters, Orman supports maintaining or increasing border security efforts while favoring a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants. He holds pro-choice views on abortion and supports implementing term limits, committing to serve no more than two Senate terms if elected in 2014.

Orman is also a proponent of Ranked Choice Voting, asserting that it allows voters to genuinely express their preferences, reduces wasted votes, encourages candidates to appeal broadly beyond their base, and lowers negative campaigning.

Book publication in 2016

Greg Orman's book A Declaration of Independents: How We Can Break the Two-Party Stranglehold and Restore the American Dream, published by Greenleaf Book Group, was released on May 3, 2016. In it, Orman discusses how extreme partisanship and a win-at-all-costs mentality in Washington have cultivated self-serving behavior that neglects the interests of everyday Americans.

Morton Kondracke commended the book in a 2015 review for the Wall Street Journal, emphasizing Orman's call for a third political force to disrupt the Republican-Democrat "duopoly" that perpetuates special-interest-driven policies. Charles Wheelan, policy fellow at Dartmouth's Rockefeller Center, described it as a compelling critique from someone with genuine campaign experience rather than a traditional politician or academic.

2018 gubernatorial election

In the 2018 Kansas governor's contest, Orman campaigned as an independent candidate alongside state senator John Doll, who transitioned from the Republican Party to run as his lieutenant governor. Orman successfully gained ballot access by submitting more than 10,000 signatures—twice the required amount—despite opposition from a board largely composed of Republican officials, including Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Governor Jeff Colyer, and Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Both Colyer and Kobach were contenders in the gubernatorial race, with Kobach narrowly securing the Republican nomination. Interestingly, Steve Baccus, who served as Colyer’s campaign chairman, endorsed Orman following the primary and took on a role as co-chair for Orman’s campaign.

Polling after the primary revealed Orman polling at 19%, trailing Democrat Laura Kelly by 13 points and Kobach by 19 points. However, when comparing candidates one-on-one, Orman appeared to have a 13-point advantage over Kobach, while Kelly and Orman were virtually tied. The election discourse largely revolved around which candidate—Orman or Kelly—stood a better chance of defeating Kobach. Despite delivering strong debate performances and proposing innovative policy ideas, Orman’s campaign faced challenges persuading voters of his viability, amid concerns that splitting the vote might lead to a Kobach victory. An October survey conducted by the Docking Institute indicated that although Orman enjoyed greater name recognition and net favorability than Kelly, he lagged behind in voter intention.

By Labor Day, Orman had stopped active fundraising and television advertising in Kansas City, with statewide TV ads ending by mid-September. A poll from September placed him at 9%, trailing both Kobach and Kelly by roughly 30 percentage points. Around mid-September, several prominent Republicans—including former governor Bill Graves and former U.S. Senators Sheila Frahm and Nancy Kassebaum—publicly endorsed Kelly over Kobach.

Despite calls to withdraw and consolidate support behind Kelly, Orman maintained his candidacy, emphasizing his dedication to challenging the entrenched two-party system rather than pursuing personal political gain.

Personal life

Orman lives in Fairway, Kansas with his wife Sybil and their two daughters. He relocated to Kansas in 1997 and was originally registered as a Republican.

Bibliography

• A Declaration of Independents, How We Can Break the Two-Party Stranglehold and Restore the American Dream