Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in the Nov. 3 midterm election, ending a 94-year Republican winning streak in Kansas U.S. Senate races.
The Associated Press called the race at 10:24 p.m., with Hamilton taking 51.7% of the vote, according to the Wichita Eagle. As of early Wednesday, Nov. 4, Hamilton held 51% to Marshall's 46%, with Libertarian David C. Graham collecting 3%, according to the Kansas City Star. Those totals are unofficial, with eligible outstanding ballots still subject to counting and results awaiting certification.
With 98.5% of ballots tallied, Hamilton held 556,414 votes (50.9%) to Marshall's 503,230 (46.1%), according to CryptoTicker's results tracker.
Unofficial results (98.5% reporting)
Candidate | Party | Votes | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
Adam Hamilton | Democratic | 556,414 | 50.9% |
Roger Marshall (i) | Republican | 503,230 | 46.1% |
David C. Graham | Libertarian | 33,134 | 3% |
Source: CryptoTicker (Hamilton, Marshall totals at 98.5% counted); Kansas City Star (Graham percentage as of early Nov. 4). Graham raw vote total not available. Results are unofficial and pending certification.
Sedgwick County swings blue
The result hit close to home for Wichita-area voters. Sedgwick County shifted from a 13.8-point Republican advantage in the 2024 presidential race to a 7.5-point Democratic lead in this contest, with 95% of ballots counted, according to CryptoTicker.
Hamilton carried the state's most populous counties in the Kansas City and Wichita areas, according to the Kansas Reflector, while Marshall led in rural areas. Hamilton also swept at least three counties that went to the Republican gubernatorial candidate in the other statewide race.
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater reported that nearly 58,000 residents had cast ballots by 3:30 p.m. on Election Day, pushing in-person turnout to roughly 44%, according to KWCH. Rainwater projected total turnout could reach 55% to 60% once evening votes and mail-in ballots were counted. Early voter participation in Sedgwick County outpaced 2022 levels by 29,000 voters.
Victory and concession
Hamilton addressed a crowd of about 1,000 supporters at the Marriott Kansas City in Overland Park on election night.
"This is amazing. We really did make history," Hamilton told supporters, according to the AP. "We're not flyover country. We're the heart of the country."
Marshall, speaking at a watch party in Wichita, called Hamilton to congratulate him, the Kansas Reflector reported. Marshall called serving in the Senate "the great honor of my life" and promised to "keep fighting for this great nation," according to the AP.
A centrist campaign in a red state
Hamilton, the founding pastor of the 25,000-member Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, the nation's largest United Methodist congregation, campaigned on a "meet-in-the-middle" platform, according to KWCH's election coverage. He denounced political extremism on both sides and pledged to focus on bipartisan economic solutions.
He won roughly 7 in 10 moderate voters, according to the AP Voter Poll. Marshall won about one-quarter of moderates, down from about 4 in 10 in 2020. Roughly 8 in 10 voters under 30 backed Hamilton.
The last Democrat to win a Kansas Senate race was George McGill, a Wichita attorney, in 1932, the AP reported.
Record spending, national attention
Campaign spending reached around $110 million, easily a state record, the AP reported. President Donald Trump rallied twice in Kansas for Marshall, including an Oct. 19 event in the Wichita area. Vice President JD Vance also visited twice.
Hamilton said he wanted to become Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran's "best friend" and said repeatedly he would not support keeping Sen. Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader, according to the Kansas Reflector and the AP.
