The Aporia · Why Adam Hamilton Could Win in Kansas, as Explained by Trump Voters

Why Adam Hamilton Could Win in Kansas, as Explained by Trump Voters

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Longwell, S. (2026, October 13). Why Adam Hamilton Could Win in Kansas, as Explained by Trump Voters. The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/why-adam-hamilton-could-win-in-kansas-pastor-roger-marshall

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Quick Summary

Adam Hamilton, a Kansas megachurch pastor, is emerging as an unexpected contender in the midterm elections with a potential chance of defeating Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Despite Donald Trump's 16-point victory in Kansas during the previous election, Hamilton has been leading or tying polls since mid-September, though never by more than five points. Interviews with 2024 Kansas voters who supported Trump reveal insights into why Hamilton is performing well among Republican-leaning constituents.

Written by AI on 2026-10-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Adam Hamilton, a Kansas megachurch pastor, is emerging as an unexpected contender in the race for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Although Donald Trump won Kansas by 16 points in the 2024 election, which was larger than his margins in states like Iowa and Florida, Hamilton has consistently tied or led in polls since mid-September, according to the New York Times. Polls show Hamilton leading but not more than 5 points ahead of Marshall in any poll.

To understand why Hamilton is outperforming expectations, researchers interviewed Trump voters from Kansas. The insights gained could inform Democratic strategies for running effective campaigns and candidate selection in traditionally red states across the country.

Written for “Adam Hamilton Wins In Kansas” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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The Bulwark · 593 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected

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Who wrote this

Sarah Longwell

27 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 To date, Sen. Ted Cruz has called El-Sayed a “jihadist leprechaun,” said that “Americans will die” if he were placed on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and warned that if he learned that a group of terrorists were about to be apprehended, he would “let those terrorists know.”

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Topics

Democratic Iowa JVL Kansas Republican

Subjects

Kansas GPE · 4× Hamilton PERSON · 3× Democratic NORP · 2× JVL PERSON · 2× Adam Hamilton PERSON · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Florida GPE · 1× Iowa GPE · 1× Republican NORP · 1× Roger Marshall PERSON · 1×

Narrative

And what we found out was that Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark October Surprise: Save 30% on your first year of Bulwark+ - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. - Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL. - Get closer to The Bulwark — member-only chats, comments, and early access to Bulwark LIVE tickets.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-13

2026-10-13 · The Bulwark

Why Adam Hamilton Could Win in Kansas, as Explained by Trump Voters · assertive framing

Claims (8 extracted, 0 hedged)

ONE OF THE UNEXPECTED NEW STARS of this midterm election has been Adam Hamilton, the Kansas megachurch pastor who has a chance—though it’s nowhere near certain—of defeating Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and becoming the first Democratic senator elected from Kansas in ninety-four years. asserted

it → have → years

Donald Trump won Kansas two years ago by 16 points. asserted

Trump → win → points

That’s bigger than his margins in Iowa, Florida, Alaska, or Texas. asserted

That → ’ → Iowa

Hamilton has tied or led in every poll tracked by the New York Times since mid-September, but never by more than 5 points (and that was in a poll his campaign sponsored). asserted

campaign → tie → poll

Getting to the heart of why Hamilton is overperforming is important, because Democrats are going to take lessons from this race about how they should run—and whom they should run—in red parts of the country, even if he falls just short. asserted

he → get → country

It’s important they learn the right lessons. asserted

they → ’ → lessons

We talked to 2024 Kansas Trump voters to find those lessons. asserted

We → talk → lessons

you → find → tickets