Kansas elects first Democratic senator in almost a century

Adam Hamilton beat out Republican Roger Marshall in a highly competitive race.

Democratic candidate for US Senate from Kansas Adam Hamilton reacts to election results in his hotel suite at a Marriott hotel in Overland Park, Kansas, US, on November 3, 2026 [Nathan Howard/Reuters]

Democrat Adam Hamilton has become the first member of his party to win a Kansas Senate seat in almost a century after beating incumbent Republican Roger Marshall, according to Associated Press news agency projections.

The race was considered consequential to control of the US Senate.

The highly competitive contest between Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, and Marshall stunned political observers given the state’s long history of Republican wins. A Democrat has not won a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932.

The founder of the largest United Methodist church in the country, Hamilton campaigned as a man of faith while pushing core Democratic positions on affordability. Like other rural states, Kansas has seen its agricultural and transportation industries hit by record-high diesel and fuel prices.

“We’re always told to not talk about politics or religion but this is one time we’re trying to save our democracy. The next two years are a pivotal time for our country,” Hamilton said on Monday.

Marshall is a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump, who campaigned for the Republican candidate.

Marshall pushed Trump’s agenda during the campaign and pledged to expand rural healthcare, despite voting for Trump’s funding cuts, and to support agriculture. A physician, he has stirred controversy by supporting Trump’s Make America Healthy Again policies, which critics say undermine public health, and by opposing mask mandates during the pandemic.

Marshall’s campaign was also dogged by a New York Times report that he had sued about 700 of his former patients for medical debt during his years as a doctor, which Hamilton’s campaign used in attack ads.

The Associated Press reported that the $110m race was the most expensive in the state’s history.

在竞争激烈的选举中，亚当·汉密尔顿击败了共和党候选人罗杰·马歇尔。

2026年11月3日，美国堪萨斯州民主党参议员候选人亚当·汉密尔顿在堪萨斯州奥弗兰帕克市万豪酒店的套房内对选举结果做出反应。[Nathan Howard/路透社]

据美联社新闻机构预测，民主党人亚当·汉密尔顿击败了现任共和党参议员罗杰·马歇尔，成为近一个世纪以来首位赢得堪萨斯州参议院席位的民主党成员。

这场选举被认为对美国参议院的控制权至关重要。

汉密尔顿（一位卫理公会牧师）和马歇尔之间竞争异常激烈，令政治观察家们感到震惊，因为堪萨斯州长期以来一直是共和党的天下。自1932年以来，民主党人就从未在堪萨斯州赢得过参议院席位。

作为美国最大的联合卫理公会教堂的创始人，汉密尔顿在竞选期间以虔诚的信仰为竞选纲领，同时大力倡导民主党的核心立场，即降低民众生活成本。与其他农村州一样，堪萨斯州的农业和运输业也受到了柴油和燃油价格创历史新高的冲击。

“我们总是被告知不要谈论政治或宗教，但这一次，我们正在努力拯救我们的民主。未来两年对我们国家来说至关重要，”汉密尔顿周一表示。

马歇尔是美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的坚定支持者，他曾为这位共和党候选人助选。

马歇尔在竞选期间积极推动特朗普的政策，并承诺扩大农村医疗保健覆盖范围（尽管他曾投票支持特朗普削减农村医疗保健资金），同时支持农业发展。作为一名医生，他因支持特朗普的“让美国再次健康”政策而引发争议，批评人士认为该政策损害了公众健康；此外，他还反对在疫情期间强制佩戴口罩。

《纽约时报》的一篇报道也一直困扰着马歇尔的竞选活动，该报道称，在他行医期间，他曾起诉约 700 名前病人追讨医疗债务，汉密尔顿的竞选团队在攻击性广告中利用了这一报道。

美联社报道称，这场耗资 1.1 亿美元的比赛是该州历史上最昂贵的比赛。