Republicans Are Panicking Over the Kansas Senate Race

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A quick note: This is exactly why we want Bulwark reporters out in the field: not just watching the Senate map change from Washington, but talking to the candidates and voters who are changing it. If you value that kind of on-the-ground reporting, you’re in luck: Bulwark+ memberships are 30% for a limited time!

Lauren Egan travels to Kansas to report on one of the most surprising Senate races of the 2026 midterms, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is running neck-and-neck with Republican incumbent Roger Marshall. A new New York Times poll shows the race in a dead heat, and Republicans are now pouring millions of dollars into Kansas as they scramble to defend a seat they once considered safe.

Hamilton, a former pastor, makes the case that rising costs, health care concerns, tariffs and the war in Iran are pushing some Kansas voters away from Republicans. He also argues that Democrats can win back voters in the heartland by moving toward the center and focusing on affordability, dignity and bipartisan problem-solving.

Lauren talks with Hamilton supporters about why they think Kansas could finally be ready to elect a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in nearly a century, and asks Hamilton how he plans to win over Republicans and voters who remain skeptical of the Democratic Party.