Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in the Kansas U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since George McGill’s reelection in 1932.
The Associated Press and CBS News projected Hamilton the winner at 10:25 p.m., KCTV5 reported. CNN made its projection at 10:16 p.m., according to KCTV5's live updates.
Hamilton, 62, is the founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Overland Park, the largest United Methodist congregation in the country. He held his election night watch party in Overland Park, where national media cameras gathered, KCTV5 reported.
Results snapshot
Decision Desk HQ projected Hamilton was leading by almost 9 percentage points with 87% of votes counted as of 10:48 p.m. EST, The Hill reported. At 8:35 p.m., with half the vote reported, Hamilton led by about 125,000 votes and held 58.5% of the total, according to KCTV5.
Candidate | Party | Status |
|---|---|---|
Adam Hamilton | Democrat | Projected winner (AP, CBS, CNN, DDHQ) |
Roger Marshall (incumbent) | Republican |
|
David Graham | Libertarian |
|
Note: Final certified vote totals were not yet available at publication. The Kansas State Board of Canvassers must certify results by Dec. 1, according to the Kansas Secretary of State's office.
What it means
Hamilton will be the first Democrat to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate since George McGill, who was elected in 1932, according to KCTV5. A Democrat had not finished within 10 points in a Kansas Senate race since 1974, KCTV5 reported.
The win helped Democrats flip the U.S. Senate, ending the Republican majority, KCTV5 reported. The GOP had held a 53-47 edge heading into the midterms, according to KMBC.
The race drew heavy national spending. Both sides had spent more than $70 million as of late October, according to KSN. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with top Senate Republicans, pulled money from North Carolina and redirected it to Kansas to support Marshall, KCTV5 reported.
President Donald Trump rallied in Park City on Oct. 19, and Vice President JD Vance held an event in Topeka on Oct. 26, both on Marshall's behalf, KCTV5 reported.
How Hamilton won
Hamilton, who had never held political office, announced his candidacy in April at Prairie Village's Harmon Park after an 18-community listening tour, KCUR reported. He ran as a self-described "independent-minded Democrat" and picked up endorsements from prominent Kansas Republicans, including two former governors, The Hill reported.
He distanced himself from the Democratic establishment, saying he would not support Sen. Chuck Schumer as majority leader, The Hill reported. His campaign focused on affordability, health care and what he called corruption in Washington.
Marshall, a former OB-GYN from Great Bend, struggled after a New York Times report detailed his record of suing former patients over unpaid medical bills, The Hill reported. He also faced a difficult political environment as public opinion soured on the war in Iran and Trump's tariff policies, The Hill reported.
The Kansas Secretary of State's office said unofficial results would continue to update through Nov. 6 because of a three-day grace period for mail ballots postmarked by Nov. 3, according to a press release from Secretary of State Scott Schwab. Official certification must occur by Dec. 1.
