Midterms coverage: Live results | What to know | Stories around the countryStay connected: NPR Politics Podcast | NPR Politics newsletter | NPR appKansans are sending Democrat Adam Hamilton to the U.S.Senate, the first time they've sent a Democrat to the chamber since 1932.Hamilton, the pastor of the largest United Methodist church in the country, preached a moderate approach, and emphasized listening to both sides.President Trump won Kansas with a double-digit margin in each presidential election since 2016.
But Kansans also elected a moderate Democrat to the governor's office, then reelected her in that same time period, showing the state is not a Republican stronghold at all levels.Loading...
Previous Kansas Senate races have been sleepier.Marshall coasted to Washington with a more than 11-percentage-point margin of victory in 2020, despite some predictions for a more competitive race.But this year's contest ended up being the most expensive in Kansas history, with Hamilton breaking multiple fundraising records.Hamilton flirted with running as an independent, but decided to run as an "independent-minded Democrat." Supporters worried if he ran as an independent, he'd split the votes with the Democratic candidate and ultimately send Marshall back to Washington.Andi Welch, from Johnson County, Kansas doesn't always vote for the Democrat on the ballot, but she voted for Hamilton on Election Day."I think he's going to be fair," Welch said.
"I think he's running as a Democrat for the reasons he states, and I think he really is going to be looking out for Kansas citizens."Hamilton's call for term limits, critiques of national Democrats and endorsements from prominent Kansas Republicans resonated with Kansans.Loading...
But the race also delved into personal attacks.The New York Times reported that Marshall, who worked as an OB-GYN before being voted to the U.S.House in 2016, sued 700 of his former patients for medical debt.
Hamilton's campaign used one of those for...