10/05/2026
Twenty-two years ago, Thomas Frank wrote, What’s the Matter with Kansas, a book about the rise of conservatism in Kansas. Now, two decades later, we are asking the same question but with a potentially different answer as we focus on this year’s Senate race.
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We will admit we are skeptical. After all, a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate election in Kansas since 1932. And, mega-churches make us very skittish. But, who are we to discount the views of last year’s James Wechsler awardee Jim Acosta, the Cook Report and many others who believe that this unlikely pick up is, indeed, a potential for turning a red seat blue.
The person who may be poised to achieve the unlikely is Adam Hamilton, the senior pastor of Resurrection United Methodist Church, the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States. Despite long odds, some current polls actually show him leading the incumbent Senator Roger Marshall (R) by a slim margin. He is campaigning to strengthen the right to organize and eliminate corporate loopholes. He wants to reverse the cuts to Medicaid and restore the ACA subsidies that hold premiums down. He is strongly pro-choice and his church’s website has a section devoted to LGBTQ+ rights. It has also sponsored KC Pride Fest. He says that his first priority in Washington would be ending the war in Iran which his opponent has supported. He strongly criticizes broad trade tariffs, characterizing them as an extra tax on Kansas families and farmers that drive up inflation and living costs.
Contrast that with Roger Marshall the incumbent Republican Senator whose lifetime record in both the House and Senate is 1.5%! He was a Member of the U.S. House from 2017 until 2021 when he moved to the Senate. Marshall, who campaigns as ‘Doc Marshall,’ is an OB/GYN who has gained recent notoriety because he reportedly sued more than 700 patients for unpaid bills – some as little as $100. Of those sued, 81 were arrested according to the New York Times. His net worth is purported to be between $3 and $9.8 million. The publicity and the downward pull of his endorsement by the President are creating an opening that was unexpected. He has voted more than 10 times against resolutions seeking to remove the US from the war with Iran. He voted against programs to help struggling families while supporting spending money on the President’s gilded ballroom. He supports the President on tariffs claiming that patriotic farmers will support the tariffs despite their downside. He believes “life begins at conception” and opposes a woman’s right to choose her own health care options. He also wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He appears obsessed with transgender rights (or lack thereof). He opposes gun control legislation. He is strongly pro-ICE and pro-border wall, and opposes a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. He supports “right to work” laws and opposes increasing the federal minimum wage.
You get the picture. Fingers crossed that the current optimism is warranted.
In the meantime, if you are one of Senator Marshall’s constituents, please let him know how you feel.
✅ 479A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, Phone: 202-224-4774
✅ 921 Larue Street, Suite C, Garden City, KS 67846, Phone: 620-765-7800
✅ 400 State Ave, Suite 230, Kansas City, KS 66101, Phone: 913-549-1570
✅ 7011 W. 121st Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, KS 66209, Phone: 913-879-7070
✅ 402B North Broadway, Pittsburg, KS 66762, Phone: 620-404-7016
✅ 204 S. Santa Fe Avenue, Suite 1, Salina, KS 67401, Phone: 785-829-9000
✅ 800 SW Jackson Street, Suite 600, Topeka, KS 66612, Phone: 785-414-7501
✅ 100 S. Market, Suite 102, Wichita, KS 67202, Phone: 316-803-6120
