Kansas Senate race 2026: Roger Marshall vs. Adam Hamilton

The basics

Kansans vote Nov. 3. Marshall was elected in 2020 with 53.2% of the vote, winning by more than 11 points after a race many expected to be close. In the Aug. 4 primaries, Marshall won about 80% of the Republican vote, and Hamilton won an eight candidate Democratic field with about 35%, ABC News reported.

The candidates

Roger Marshall (R) is an obstetrician-gynecologist from Great Bend who served two terms in the U.S. House before winning his Senate seat. He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, the Kansas Farm Bureau's political arm and Teamsters President Sean O'Brien. Vice President JD Vance campaigned for him in September, and Trump held a rally for him in October.

Adam Hamilton (D) founded the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, which grew into one of the largest Methodist congregations in the country. He has not held elected office. Two former Republican Kansas governors have endorsed him, KSN reported, along with the largest federal employee union.

Where the race stands

Polls show a close race with Hamilton slightly ahead. A CNN poll by SSRS (Oct. 20–26, 838 likely voters, ±4.5) had Hamilton 49%, Marshall 45%. A New York Times/Siena poll (Sept. 22–30) found a 45–45 tie, and Emerson College (Sept. 15–16) had Hamilton 45%, Marshall 43%. STTPN's average of four recent independent polls is Hamilton 46.8%, Marshall 44.5%, within the typical margin of error.

Cook, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate it a Toss-up. Hamilton had raised about $19.2 million through Oct. 14, compared with about $7.5 million for Marshall, according to the FEC. The Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican Senate super PAC, shifted $30 million it had pledged in North Carolina to Kansas, The Guardian reported.

The issues

Tariffs and fuel prices

At their Oct. 21 debate, Marshall defended tariffs on imports, while Hamilton said they "functioned as an unpredictable tax on Kansans," KCUR reported. Marshall blamed high diesel prices on Russia's war in Ukraine. Hamilton blamed the war in Iran and called for a temporary suspension of federal fuel taxes, Al Jazeera reported.

Ukraine and Israel

Marshall said Trump's plan to import Russian diesel "doesn't sound like a great idea" but that he would support it if it helped end the war. Hamilton said it would "sell out our friends in Ukraine." Hamilton supports defensive weapons for Israel but opposes supplying bombs used in densely populated areas. Marshall called Israel one of America's closest allies.

Artificial intelligence and immigration

Marshall favors a "light touch" on AI regulation and says the U.S. must reach superintelligence before China. Hamilton calls AI a "potential existential threat to the human race" that needs stronger rules. Both said a mandatory E-Verify system for employers could be a good idea. Hamilton criticized recent ICE raids in southwest Kansas. Marshall defended Trump's border policies.

Controversies

A September New York Times investigation reported that Marshall, as an OB-GYN, sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, and that in at least 81 cases patients were arrested at his lawyers' request after missing court dates. Marshall has denied the report. When Hamilton ran an ad featuring a woman who said she was arrested over a $50 payment, Marshall's campaign called the ad defamatory, saying she was arrested for failing to appear in court over larger debts.

At an Oct. 19 rally near Wichita, Trump defended Marshall, saying he was "given a bum rap," and used an antisemitic slur while doing so, ABC News and KCUR reported. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. The Kansas City Star has found exaggerated or false claims in ads from both campaigns, including a Marshall ad about a sexual abuse case at Hamilton's church.