Republicans are flooding money into Kansas to shore up Senator Roger Marshall's re-election, a sign of alarm in a state President Trump won by double digits in 2020.
Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor challenging Marshall, raised roughly $11 times more than the incumbent in the previous quarter, according to campaign finance reports. The disparity has triggered the Republican rescue operation.
Hamilton is running as a Democrat who keeps his distance from national party figures. "The Democratic brand is in trouble everywhere across the United States, and Chuck Schumer becomes the sort of archetype for that," Hamilton told reporters, referring to the Senate Minority Leader.
Hamilton has also directly challenged Trump. "Just because you're a pastor does not mean your prayers are answered," Hamilton said, after noting he had prayed for the President to gain wisdom.
Marshall's campaign is betting on nationalization—warning Kansas voters that Democrats could control the Senate if Hamilton wins. When asked about his Iran policy record, Marshall declined to engage. "I think you guys need to talk about something that Kansans want to be talking about right now," he said, before attacking Hamilton directly.
Democrats currently hold a narrow advantage in television spending, though the Republican influx is shifting the balance.
