KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas native and pastor Adam Hamilton will take the stage at the FOX4 studio Wednesday night to debate U.S. Senator Roger Marshall.
The incumbent Sen. Marshall is seeking another term in Washington, D.C. But if Hamilton wins the seat, it would mark the first time a Democrat has held a U.S. Senate seat in 94 years.
How to watch the Kansas U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Marshall, Adam Hamilton
But who is Hamilton, and what would he bring to the table if he were to replace Sen. Marshall at the conclusion of his term?
Who is Adam Hamilton?
Hamilton isn’t your typical politician. He’s been a pastor for 36 years.
“In 1990, at 25, I started a church alongside my wife with just four people. Thirty-six years later, it’s a congregation with 24,000 members,” Hamilton told FOX4.
He said his church has given tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to neighbors in need. Hamilton said all of the programs his church started were born out of a need for help.
“Each program started the same way. We saw something broken, listened and rolled up our sleeves. That’s the job I want to do in the Senate,” he said.
Hamilton grew up in Prairie Village and has been married to his wife for 44 years. They have two daughters, a granddaughter and two dogs.
“A fifth-generation Kansan, his family came to Dickinson County 147 years ago and helped build the towns of Hope and Elmo. His mother’s parents came to Wichita to work at Beechcraft, and his grandfather went on to fly for TWA,” his campaign website reads.
Why is Adam Hamilton running for US Senate?
Hamilton said he never planned to run for office.
After a year of watching what was happening in Washington, D.C., he said he decided to do something.
“Every day, I was watching Washington making decisions that were hurting people in Kansas: getting into the war with Iran, skyrocketing gas prices, reckless tariffs, cutting Medicaid and SNAP, getting rid of the ACA credits and more,” Hamilton told FOX4.
“It is indecent, and it is wrong. So I decided to run to be a champion for the people of Kansas and put an end to the Washington policies that are hurting the people and state I love.”
Hamilton said what’s happening in Washington is wrong, and Kansans deserve a Senator who will be a champion for them.
“Roger Marshall has supported Washington policies that hurt Kansans…and has been hiding from us for nearly 600 days. He has voted to continue the Iran War 14 times — even as farmers are crying out for relief from $4 a gallon gas and $6 a gallon diesel. He voted to gut Medicaid, knowing that tens of thousands of Kansans would lose access to healthcare. He took SNAP benefits away from more than 20,000 children,” Hamilton said.
“Roger Marshall abandoned Kansas. I’m running because it’s time for something different,” Hamilton said.
What are the pillars of Hamilton’s campaign?
Hamilton said Kansans have shared with him three main concerns:
- The rising cost of living
- Healthcare
- Corruption
“Kansans keep telling me three things. First, they can’t keep up with costs, and much of that is self-inflicted. Tariffs and the war in Iran drove up what families pay for gas, groceries, and fertilizer. They’re devastating our farmers and increasing farm bankruptcies across Kansas,” Hamilton said.
When it comes to healthcare, he said he’ll fight to restore the insurance tax credits that expired last year and reverse the Medicaid cuts that have put Kansas’ rural hospitals at risk.
“Because of the cuts that Marshall supported, Kansas has more rural hospitals at risk of closing than any other state. For far too many Kansans, if the local rural hospital closes, they will have to drive 100 miles or more to the next closest hospital — which costs precious time while someone is having a medical emergency,” Hamilton said.
The third problem Hamilton said he’ll tackle is corruption.
“Members of Congress shouldn’t trade stocks in companies they vote on, and we need to get dark money out of politics,” he said. “It’s also why our campaign isn’t taking corporate PAC money, because it’s important that people know that their elected officials are fighting for them, not enriching themselves.”
Hamilton said he plans to lead from the middle and bring people together.
“I’m headed to the Senate to work for Kansas, not a party. Someone asked what I’d do if Democratic leaders told me how to vote. If it’s good for Kansas, I’ll vote for it. If it isn’t, I won’t, no matter who’s asking,” Hamilton said.
“If my party opposes a policy that is good for Kansas, then I would work with Republicans to try to get that bill passed and help working families in this state. I am going to be a champion for Kansans, not the voice of a president or party in Kansas.”
FOX4 will televise and stream the debate between Marshall and Hamilton on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. FOX4’s John Holt will moderate the debate, which is taking place at the FOX4 studio.
For more information on how to watch Wednesday’s debate, click here.
