Create account

Ongoing story / Kansas

The 2026 Kansas Senate race: Roger Marshall vs. Adam Hamilton

Overview · reviewed November 5, 2026

Democrat Adam Hamilton, the pastor of the largest United Methodist church in the United States, defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas's 2026 Senate race, the first Democratic Senate win in the state since 1932.[1][2] A September poll showed Hamilton narrowly ahead, an Emerson College poll in late October had him still leading, and President Donald Trump held two rallies in the state for Marshall.[3][4][5][6]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

A September poll showed Hamilton narrowly ahead, an Emerson College poll in late October had him still leading, and President Donald Trump held two rallies in the state for Marshall.[3][4][5][6]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 537 tracked outlets (4 left, 1 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 480 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): 4%, 17 of 479 tracked outlets (4 left, 12 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 476 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 7 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 479 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 476 tracked outlets (1 left, 5 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 6%, 28 of 479 tracked outlets (6 left, 13 center, 9 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 9%, 43 of 473 tracked outlets (11 left, 21 center, 11 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 7%, 34 of 471 tracked outlets (11 left, 12 center, 11 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 3 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (9 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 202611121134 of 4717%
Oct 26, 202611211143 of 4739%
Oct 19, 2026613928 of 4796%
Oct 12, 202615410 of 4762%
Oct 5, 20260033 of 4791%
Sep 28, 20260279 of 4762%
Sep 21, 2026412117 of 4794%
Sep 14, 20260314 of 4801%
Aug 3, 20264149 of 5372%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 4, 2026 · first reported · Headline from MLive

    Kansas elects first Democratic Senator in 94 years after Trump’s comments

Background

Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist megachurch pastor who entered the race in April 2026, won the Democratic Senate primary in Kansas on August 4 from a field of 11 candidates, setting up a November race against Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.[2] Conservative reports in September criticized a past Hamilton sermon calling on his congregation to repent for contributing to climate change, including through driving and eating beef.[7]

Read the full background (2 more paragraphs)

Hamilton drew support from Republicans. Former Gov. Bill Graves, a Republican, endorsed him, saying it was "time Kansas does something different,"[8] and the Republican who had challenged Marshall in the primary endorsed him as well.[9] In September, an Emerson College poll had Hamilton at 45% and Marshall at 43%,[3] and the race became a new worry for Republicans trying to keep their Senate majority.[10]

Trump held a rally for Marshall in Park City on October 19, as farmers squeezed by and diesel costs tested the party's hold on rural voters.[5][11] Marshall and Hamilton were set to meet in a televised debate on October 21.[12][13] Trump returned for a second rally, in Salina, in the campaign's last days.[6] The Associated Press described Republicans as on a rescue mission in a state where Democrats had not won a Senate race in nearly a century.[14] On election night, Decision Desk HQ projected that Hamilton would unseat Marshall, a result The Hill said all but ensured a Senate majority for Democrats.[1]

Supporting stories (14)
  1. Sen.-elect Hamilton reflects on why Kansas voters chose a Democrat for U.S. Senate
  2. Adam Hamilton, Megachurch Pastor, Won a Democratic Senate Primary. Now Comes the Hard Part.
  3. New Kansas Senate poll shows tight race between Hamilton and Marshall
  4. New poll shows Hamilton leading Marshall in tight Kansas Senate race
  5. Line forms to see President Trump's 'Kansas Style Rally' in Park City
  6. President Trump to rally in Salina on Sunday
  7. Woke megachurch pastor, and Democtratic nominee called on congregation to repent for driving, eating beef
  8. Former Kansas GOP governor explains why he's backing Democrat Adam Hamilton for Senate
  9. Marshall GOP primary challenger backs Democrat in Kansas Senate race
  10. Kansas becomes the latest headache for Republicans, with Democrats eyeing a ‘miracle’ in Senate race
  11. The GOP counts on farmers’ votes. As a costly harvest season raises concerns, Trump heads to Kansas
  12. Marshall, Hamilton clash in battleground Kansas Senate debate: 4 takeaways
  13. How to watch the Kansas Senate debate on Oct. 21
  14. The GOP is on a rescue mission in Kansas, where Dems haven’t won a Senate race in nearly a century

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 28 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Kansas elects first Democrat Senator in 94 years after Trump’s commentsHeadline from AL.com · 5 outlets
  2. Live Results: Kansas Senate midterm electionHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 3 outlets
  3. Sen.-elect Hamilton reflects on why Kansas voters chose a Democrat for U.S. SenateHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 26 outlets

October 2026

  1. President Trump to rally in Salina on SundayHeadline from KSN Wichita · 2 outlets
  2. Trump rallies in Iowa, Kansas to maintain Republican control of US SenateHeadline from Al Jazeera · 43 outlets
  3. New poll shows Hamilton leading Marshall in tight Kansas Senate raceHeadline from FOX 4 Kansas City · 6 outlets
  4. President Trump coming back to KansasHeadline from KSN Wichita · 1 outlet
  5. The GOP is on a rescue mission in Kansas, where Dems haven’t won a Senate race in nearly a centuryHeadline from MyNorthwest · 6 outlets
  6. Marshall, Hamilton clash in battleground Kansas Senate debate: 4 takeawaysHeadline from The Hill · 7 outlets
  7. Trump attacks Democratic challenger Hamilton at Kansas rally as Senate race tightensHeadline from ABC News · 5 outlets
  8. Who is Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall?Headline from KSNT Topeka · 2 outlets
  9. Hamilton could be the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in Kansas in 94 yearsHeadline from KSN Wichita · 2 outlets
  10. The GOP counts on farmers’ votes. As a costly harvest season raises concerns, Trump heads to KansasHeadline from MyNorthwest · 11 outlets
  11. Line forms to see President Trump's 'Kansas Style Rally' in Park CityHeadline from KSN Wichita · 11 outlets
  12. President Trump's visit to Kansas will happen at Heartland Credit Union ArenaHeadline from KSN Wichita · 2 outlets
  13. Johnson County vs. western Kansas: Where the Kansas Senate race could be wonHeadline from FOX 4 Kansas City · 1 outlet
  14. How to watch the Kansas Senate debate on Oct. 21Headline from Four States Home Page · 2 outlets
  15. Damaging Details Erupt From Kansas Democrat Senate Nominee’s White Privilege Sermon [WATCH]Headline from Objectivist · 3 outlets
  16. Trump to rally for Roger Marshall in Kansas as Senate race draws national attentionHeadline from FOX 4 Kansas City · 7 outlets
  17. Major Election Forecaster Shifts Kansas Senate Race To Toss-Up for Seat Dems Haven’t Held Since FDRHeadline from Conservative Daily News · 3 outlets

September 2026

  1. Nexstar’s Kansas television stations to air live debate between candidates for U.S. SenateHeadline from KSN Wichita · 2 outlets
  2. Woke megachurch pastor, and Democtratic nominee called on congregation to repent for driving, eating beefHeadline from End Time Headlines · 7 outlets
  3. Marshall GOP primary challenger backs Democrat in Kansas Senate raceHeadline from The Hill · 3 outlets
  4. Democrat pastor eyeing upset in deep red state urges 2028 contender to stay awayHeadline from The Oregonian · 3 outlets
  5. Kansas becomes the latest headache for Republicans, with Democrats eyeing a ‘miracle’ in Senate raceHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 8 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →