Democrat Adam Hamilton Defeats Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, First Democratic Senate Win There Since 1932

Adam Hamilton, a Democrat, defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, according to projections from NBC News and CBS News. No Democrat had won a Kansas Senate seat since George McGill in 1932.

In the Associated Press tally early Wednesday, Hamilton had 51.1% of the vote. Marshall, 66, called the support he received "humbling" and told supporters, "We're not going to give up fighting for this great country."

Trump carried Kansas by 16 points in 2024. Marshall won his first term in 2020 by 11.

A first-time candidate with a Republican past

Hamilton, 62, is the founding pastor of the 25,000-member Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area, the largest United Methodist congregation in the country. He has written several dozen books. He had never held public office and was registered as a Republican until earlier this year.

He ran as an "independent-minded Democrat." Former Republican Govs. Bill Graves and Mike Hayden backed him. He pledged to be Sen. Jerry Moran's "best friend" and said repeatedly that he would not support keeping Schumer as Democratic leader.

On immigration he criticized ICE at an event in Topeka but stopped short of calling to abolish it. "If they stick to what they were created for, I'm grateful for them," he said.

The money and the map

Spending on the race ran around $110 million, a record for Kansas. AdImpact tracked $45 million in Republican TV and digital ads against $65 million from Democrats. Hamilton also outraised Marshall, particularly among Kansas donors.

Trump held rallies for Marshall on Oct. 19 and Oct. 31. Vice President JD Vance headlined events in September and on Oct. 26, where he called Hamilton "Chuck Schumer's stooge." Republicans pressed the argument that a Hamilton vote would hand the Senate to liberal Democrats.

The suburbs near Kansas City have grown steadily bluer. Democrats can now win statewide by carrying the most populous counties, and Kansas has a sizable bloc of moderates who have repeatedly elected Democratic governors, including Laura Kelly. Several counties Marshall won in 2020 flipped to Hamilton.

What Marshall faced

A September New York Times investigation found that Marshall and his medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills. In 81 cases, patients were arrested for missing court dates, and two experts quoted by the Times called his tactics extreme. Marshall's lawyer said Marshall set the 18% interest rate on the bills but had no involvement in warrants or arrests. Marshall called the story a "hit job."

Democrats also hit him on fuel and beef prices, tariffs, the Iran war and the health care cuts in last year's "big, beautiful bill." They cited his April remark that national security was "even more important than your pocketbook." He also faced attacks over a Florida vacation home, which he sold last month. He said he bought it to spend time with family.

Marshall's own explanation for the tight race was simpler. Before Election Day he told Fox Business, "I think it's the price of gasoline." He said the national polls overstated the closeness and that "the legacy media is just telling you the sky is falling" despite what he called a strong Kansas economy. His 2020 race showed similar polling, he noted, and he won by 11.

Hamilton's account differs. In his victory speech he said voters were upset about the cost of living, health care cuts, the Iran war and Trump's tariffs. "This election is a rebuke of unkindness and cruelty in Washington, D.C.," he said.

The attacks on Hamilton

Republicans portrayed Hamilton as too "woke" for Kansas, pointing to his church's support for LGBTQ rights. Breitbart cited sermons in which Hamilton said the Bible contains errors and that belief in the virgin birth is optional for Christians.

In the closing weeks, Republicans also focused on two alleged sexual abuse cases involving teenage boys at the church's annual camps, in 2005 and 2006, both involving the same adult leader. The church investigated the first but did not report it to law enforcement because the victims could not positively identify the man. He returned for the 2006 camp. The second incident was reported, and the church gave police its records on the first. The local prosecutor did not file charges.

Hamilton has acknowledged that not reporting the 2005 incident was a mistake, and that he failed to personally check that the man did not return in 2006. The church has since required all incidents to be reported to law enforcement.

What it means for the Senate

CBS News said the result helped seal a Democratic Senate majority. Schumer, speaking Tuesday night, hailed Democrats retaking the Senate "against all odds." The Washington Post's results page also listed Democratic flips in Ohio, Texas, Iowa and Maine.

Hamilton told supporters, "We're not flyover country. We're the heart of the country."

Leadership is the open question. Hamilton ran against Schumer's continued role, and Republicans spent weeks arguing he would not keep that promise. When Senate Democrats choose their leader in the next Congress, Kansas voters will see whether he does.