Democrat Adam Hamilton pulled off an upset over Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) on Tuesday, giving Kansas its first Democratic senator in nearly a century.
The Associated Press called the race for Hamilton at 11:24 p.m., with Hamilton earning 51.9% support to Marshall’s 45.2%, with 91% of the vote counted.
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Kansas had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since George McGill in 1932. President Donald Trump won the state by more than 16 points over former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 general election. Marshall won his own race over Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier by 11 points in 2020.
However, elevated gas prices caused by the war in Iran and disruptions to the agriculture industry stemming from Trump’s trade wars and the war in Ukraine soured voters on Republicans in 2026. The RealClearPolitics polling average had Marshall leading Hamilton by just 0.3 points in late October.
The Senate race in Kansas had tightened so much this fall that Republican super PACs and national committees began canceling ad reservations in other states, most notably North Carolina, and funneling the cash into backing Marshall. Democrats employed a similar tactic, as left-leaning PACs began running ads in support of Libertarian candidate David Graham in late October.
Trump himself took significant steps this fall to boost Marshall’s reelection. The president held multiple rallies in the state where he appeared side by side with the incumbent and made a number of financial announcements aimed squarely at aiding Kansas farmers.
One announcement was an $8 billion Department of Agriculture program to offset elevated diesel costs during the harvest season. Trump also promised to make E15 blended ethanol fuel available year-round if Marshall defeated Hamilton in November.
Hamilton, who served on former President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, took a different tactic from other Democratic candidates, one clearly aimed at not scaring off Republican or right-leaning voters.
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“I just want to say, I’m not running against President Trump,” Hamilton said onstage during an October debate. “I’m running against [Marshall].”
Instead, Hamilton took steps to separate himself from progressives and Democratic Party leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).