A Methodist pastor gives Democrats a shot at a Kansas senate seat

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Why deep-red Kansas has become an unexpected Senate battleground​

Kansas has emerged as an unexpected Senate battleground, forcing national Republicans to spend millions defending GOP Sen. Roger Marshall in a state Donald Trump carried by 16 points in 2024.

Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton brings unique crossover appeal to the race, political experts tell CNBC. He spent three decades building the largest United Methodist congregation in the country and entered the race with an established network reaching well beyond traditional Democratic circles.

"Hamilton is wildly popular in places where I can't even get a Democratic candidate to run for a House seat, a state legislative seat," Repass told CNBC, adding that Hamilton has supporters "knocking every door" in some of those communities.

Hamilton's background — he has previously been registered as both a Republican and a Democrat and briefly became unaffiliated this year while considering an independent bid — has also made it easier for him to appeal outside the Democratic base, Beatty said.

"He creates a permission structure for moderate Republicans and independents to cross the aisle," Beatty told CNBC.

That appeal is yielding endorsements from prominent former Republican Govs. Bill Graves and Mike Hayden, as well as Marshall's recent GOP primary challenger, Arch Naramore. Meanwhile, the September Emerson College poll found Hamilton leading Marshall among independent voters, 42% to 27%.
 

New poll shows Kansas U.S. Senate race tied between Roger Marshall, Adam Hamilton​

According to a newly released New York Times/Siena poll of likely Kansas voters, both men have 45 percent of the vote.

A Democrat hasn't won a U.S. Senate race since 1932.

 

Can Kansas Voters Get Democratic Religion?​

Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton brings unique crossover appeal to the race, political experts tell CNBC. He spent three decades building the largest United Methodist congregation in the country and entered the race with an established network reaching well beyond traditional Democratic circles

He may have become a politician, but his identity as a shepherd of souls is indelible. Nonetheless, as white and as Christian as much of Kansas is—he was determined to disabuse anyone there of the sense that he was any kind of Christian nationalist, which has so dominated the Trump administration and GOP. “I’m not running for the US Senate to make everybody else believe what I believe about God, about who Jesus is, or what it means to be a Christian,” he said. “I’m running for the United States Senate because things are broken in our country.”

He deftly navigated between religious camps, alluding to authoritative instruction from the Bible at some points, “What does the Lord require of you?” he asked. “Not, what does he suggest? What is your requirement? But to do justice. Justice is making sure there’s fairness for powerless people. To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk with humility before God.” I wondered if others there would have recognized this text from the Book of Micah, where the prophet makes clear that God values virtuous behavior toward others over hypocritical religious ritual.

 

Can Kansas Voters Get Democratic Religion?​

Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton brings unique crossover appeal to the race, political experts tell CNBC. He spent three decades building the largest United Methodist congregation in the country and entered the race with an established network reaching well beyond traditional Democratic circles

He may have become a politician, but his identity as a shepherd of souls is indelible. Nonetheless, as white and as Christian as much of Kansas is—he was determined to disabuse anyone there of the sense that he was any kind of Christian nationalist, which has so dominated the Trump administration and GOP. “I’m not running for the US Senate to make everybody else believe what I believe about God, about who Jesus is, or what it means to be a Christian,” he said. “I’m running for the United States Senate because things are broken in our country.”

He deftly navigated between religious camps, alluding to authoritative instruction from the Bible at some points, “What does the Lord require of you?” he asked. “Not, what does he suggest? What is your requirement? But to do justice. Justice is making sure there’s fairness for powerless people. To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk with humility before God.” I wondered if others there would have recognized this text from the Book of Micah, where the prophet makes clear that God values virtuous behavior toward others over hypocritical religious ritual.

Micah 6:8: The book famously distills what God truly desires from His people:
“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”
 
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