# Kansas Senate race tests Trump's grip on Republicans > Democrat Adam Hamilton leads Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in a stunning upset bid, as Trump's unpopular policies reshape a reliably red state. - Title: Kansas Senate race tests Trump's grip on Republicans · NPR - Summary: Democrat Adam Hamilton leads Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in a stunning upset bid, as Trump's unpopular policies reshape a reliably red state. - Keywords: kansas, senate race, adam hamilton, roger marshall, 2026 midterms, trump policies, tariffs, fuel prices, democratic nominee, republican senator, laura kelly, ty masterson - Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/14/nx-s1-5995633/kansas-senate-race-hamilton-marshall-tossup - Published: 2026-10-14T00:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: kansas, senate race, adam hamilton, roger marshall, 2026 midterms, trump policies, tariffs, fuel prices, democratic nominee, republican senator, laura kelly, ty masterson ## Kansas becomes unlikely battleground Two years after President Trump earned fifty-seven percent of the vote, Kansas Republicans face the possibility that a Democrat could win a U.S. Senate race for the first time in nearly a century. ## Hamilton leads Marshall in polls Adam Hamilton, a self-billed independent-minded Democrat, has led in several polls against Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in the newly competitive race. ## Both parties pour in resources Both parties have redirected tens of millions of dollars in recent weeks to shape the surprising toss-up race. President Trump announced Tuesday he would campaign in Wichita next week for Marshall and other Republicans. ## Trump's agenda proves unpopular The shift in national attention to Kansas reflects how unpopular Trump's second term agenda has become with voters, especially in Midwestern Republican states hit by rising fuel prices and tariffs. ## Hamilton campaigns on decency At a get-out-the-vote event in Lawrence Monday, Hamilton told the crowd his priorities are tackling affordability and healthcare, but also restoring human decency to politics. ## Hamilton rejects partisan warfare Hamilton said if you want someone to crush Republicans in a state with only twenty-five percent Democrats, you'll never get them elected. > if you want that in a state with only 25% of the population who are Democrats, you'll never get them elected. And if you did, they become part of the problem instead of part of the solution. ## Hamilton positions himself as moderate Hamilton is the founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection, the country's largest United Methodist Church congregation across its multiple campuses, and positions himself as a moderate voice seeking to tame rabid partisanship. ## Conservative endorsements back Hamilton Hamilton has secured endorsements from conservatives, including former Republican Kansas Govs. Mike Hayden and Bill Graves. Republican Party leaders have said they were crossing over to vote for him. ## Marshall attacks Hamilton as radical For his part, Marshall has painted Hamilton as too liberal, saying he would destroy Kansas' cattle, agriculture, oil and gas industries if elected. > Kansans need to know that my opponent, Adam Hamilton, is the most radical liberal person that ever got through a primary in the state of Kansas. ## Marshall faces campaign troubles Marshall has been dogged by negative headlines over the last month, starting with a debate at the Kansas State Fair where the senator was shouted down by the crowd repeatedly. ## Marshall's campaign missteps mount Marshall's campaign faced pushback after releasing an attack ad claiming Hamilton protected a pedophile using images of two unrelated businesses, and paid an outstanding invoice from a cookie shop after a viral social media post. ## Republicans eye governor's race Even as Republicans sweat the closer-than-expected Senate race, the party is optimistic about winning back control of the governor's office after eight years of Democrat Laura Kelly's leadership. ## Masterson focuses on state issues State Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, said tackling affordability and lower energy prices would come from putting a Republican back in the state's top office, keeping focus on state rather than national… ## Key takeaway Democrat Adam Hamilton leads Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas's first competitive Senate race in nearly a century, driven by voter backlash against Trump's tariffs and fuel prices.