Facebook/Pat Roberts for Senate

Independent candidate Greg Orman has opened a wide lead in his bid to unseat incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), according to a new PPP poll.

In the survey, Orman leads Roberts by a seven-point margin among likely voters, 41 percent to 34 percent, when Democrat Chad Taylor — who dropped out of the race earlier this month, and who is suing to be removed from the ballot — is left in the mix. With Taylor and Libertarian Randall Batson off the ballot, Orman's lead climbs to 10 points.

A Roberts loss would be a huge blow to Republicans' hopes of reclaiming the Senate. Democrats have enjoyed a mini-surge of late in other contested races, though The New York Times still gives the GOP a 51 percent chance of winning a Senate majority.