Democratic candidate for US Senate from Kansas Adam Hamiltons hugs a supporter at a canvassing event Olathe, Kansas US, October 31, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Things got so bad for Republicans in Kansas that sources close to President Donald Trump told reporters Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) was to blame if he lost to his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton.
On Tuesday, the Sunflower State's Senate seat went to Hamilton, according to NBC News.
Kansas hasn't elected a Democratic Senator in 94 years, since 1932, which came during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s national Democratic wave. However, Kansas frequently elects Democrats to lead the governor's office, leaving political analysts wondering if this was the year for Kansans to choose a pastor over a politician.
Marshall had a tough hill to climb after he was exposed for owning a large home in Florida, where he spent the majority of his time. The small home that he kept in Kansas was seen as more of a hunting lodge than a home, locals in Marshall's hometown alleged when speaking to the Kansas City Star a week before the election.
Then the New York Times published an expose on Marshall, revealing that he sued more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills during roughly two decades. The debts ranged from $101 to several thousand dollars, and about half the cases were filed in Marshall’s own name while the other half were filed by Heartland Regional OBGYN, his practice.
When President Donald Trump campaigned for Marshall, he falsely told voters that Marshall was legally obligated to take the patients to court.
The major issue became that Marshall's patients’ contracts commonly carried an 18 percent annual interest rate on unpaid balances. The new class-action lawsuit alleges that it exceeded Kansas’s 15 percent statutory cap, making the charges unlawful “usury.”
Marshall had one of his patients arrested three times for her unpaid bill.
His story became a stark contrast to Rev. Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist minister in the suburbs of Kansas City. He was simply more well liked than someone seen as a mean, wealthy doctor getting rich on the backs of people who couldn't pay their medical bills because of high costs.
In Emerson’s October poll, Hamilton had a 41 percent favorable / 30 percent unfavorable rating, while Marshall was at 41 percent favorable / 48 percent unfavorable. That means Hamilton was up 11 points, while Marshall was down 7 points.
It became clear that Marshall was in trouble over the summer when the two men appeared at the Kansas State Fair, where they took questions from the audience. The audience booed and chastised Marshall, drawing national attention.
By contrast, Hamilton has used his faith to talk about the common good, helping one's neighbor and loving the "stranger," a stark contrast to the anti-immigration language coming out of Trump and the GOP. The October Emerson poll also showed that Hamilton's message sounded more nonpartisan, capturing independent voters by a 2-to-1 margin.