Megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton seeks to break Kansas Senate Democratic drought
Democratic megachurch leader Adam Hamilton is running for Kansas’s U.S. Senate seat, a race Democrats haven’t won since 1932, and is confronting theological attacks from conservatives.
Adam Hamilton, who grew the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection into a 25,000-member megachurch, is the Democratic candidate aiming to unseat Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas, a seat Democrats have not captured since 1932. At 61, Hamilton describes himself as a centrist and says he will limit his pastoral duties to 12-18 sermons annually while serving in Washington. Conservatives have seized on a 2022 sermon where he suggested non-Christians might receive salvation, calling him a heretic and “too woke,” with Senator Ted Cruz and Marshall echoing the criticism.
Some Democrats express unease about church-state boundaries, yet Hamilton argues his faith guides his public service without evangelizing. His campaign faces attack ads linking him to climate-change activism and alleged support for drag-queen story hours, both of which he denies. Hamilton’s platform stresses “decency” and affordability, targeting both moderate Republicans and liberal voters, noting his congregation is politically mixed.
Why it matters
The race tests whether a high-profile religious leader can break a century-long Republican hold on a Senate seat in a deeply conservative state.
In this story
