Democrat Adam Hamilton has defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas, becoming the first Democrat the state has sent to the US Senate since 1932.
The result flips the country's longest-held Republican Senate seat.
When NBC News projected him the winner, Hamilton had 52.1% of the vote (541,771 votes) to Marshall's 44.9% (466,980 votes). Independent David Graham had 3%. The result is one of several Democratic flips that helped the party take the Senate majority.
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A Seat Democrats Had Not Come Close To Winning
The scale of the upset stems from Kansas's record. Democrats had not come within 10 percentage points of winning a Kansas Senate race in more than 50 years.
Marshall, a physician and Trump ally, won the seat by more than 11 points in 2020. That year he beat Democrat Barbara Bollier in an open race. Trump has won Kansas by double digits in every presidential election since 2016.
Who Is Adam Hamilton?
Hamilton, 61, is a Methodist pastor and political newcomer who founded the Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area, which grew into the largest United Methodist congregation in the US.
He entered the race in April as an "independent-minded Democrat." The contest turned competitive after he won the Democratic nomination in August.
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How The Campaign Played Out
Hamilton focused on the cost of living. He blamed tariffs and foreign wars for higher prices, and attacked Marshall over a New York Times report that his former medical practice sued more than 700 former patients over unpaid bills.'
Marshall backed Trump's tariffs and the Iran war, and told the AP that Hamilton was "too woke for Kansas."
Marshall also tried to link Hamilton to national Democrats. In their final debate he tied his rival to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer 15 times. Hamilton said repeatedly that he would not back Schumer as Democratic leader, and campaigned on a Kansas-first message.
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What It Means
The win gives Democrats a significant lift in their push for a Senate majority. Hamilton will take office in January alongside Republican Senator Jerry Moran.
Democrats also flipped Senate seats in Texas, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Maine.
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