Find articles

Adam Hamilton distances himself from Chuck Schumer even as Senate Majority PAC pours millions into the Kansas Senate race against Roger Marshall.

The Church of the Resurrection, led by Kansas Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Adam Hamilton, encouraged the use of gender-neutral terms instead of references to boys and girls to make children "feel welcome", according to a message provided to Breitbart News that included an image crediting a transgender-identifying singer and LGBTQ activist as one source of inspiration. The post Kansas Dem Adam Hamilton’s Megachurch Pushes Gender-Neutral Language for Kids Ministry ‘Inspired’ By LGBTQ+ Activist appeared first on Breitbart .

Democrats in a pair of deep-red states are testing the religious right's dominance by putting their Christian faith at the center of their campaigns — potentially creating a template for the party to compete in similarly forbidding terrain. Why it matters: Upsets by Texas' James Talarico and Kansas' Adam Hamilton would all but ensure that Democrats take the Senate. A recent poll from Pew shows both an opening and an obstacle: White evangelicals still strongly favor Republicans, while many other Christian groups lean Democratic or are more narrowly split. The big picture: Talarico , a Presbyterian seminary student, and Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor, are challenging conservatives' claim to speak for faith. Their bids come after Democrat Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, was elected to the Senate in 2021. President Trump won both Texas and Kansas by double digits in 2024. Neither state has sent a Democrat to the Senate in the 21st century — the last time Kansas did was in 1932. Both races this year are considered toss-ups . Zoom in: Talarico's "religiosity is a way to soften his liberalism" and potentially win over Christians turned off by his scandal-plagued opponent , says Brandon Rottinghaus, who co-hosts Houston Public Media's "Party Politics." Talarico has also made several visits to Black Baptist churches . Trump made inroads with minority communities in Texas, and Talarico looks to do the same after besting Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), who is Black, in a brutal primary. He's harnessed scripture in his pitch against Christian nationalism and for protecting the vulnerable, invoking the biblical campaign slogan, "It's time to start flipping tables." "We're in a populist political moment, and many of the teachings of the social gospel give him an opportunity to link the politics and his faith together," Rottinghaus adds. By the numbers: A September Marist survey of 1,139 Texas registered voters showed Paxton with a 75% to 22% lead over Talarico among white evangelical Christians. In Kansas, the race will hinge less on whether Hamilton can win large numbers of religious Republicans and more on whether he can replicate Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's coalition, says Alexandra Middlewood, the political science department chair at Wichita State University. Hamilton has presented himself as a bridge-builder, drawing on his experience leading the largest United Methodist church in the nation. His well-known religious background could appeal to less engaged, moderate Christians and center-right voters, Middlewood says. Yes, but: While Kansas has elected blue governors and voted to keep abortion legal in the state, Republicans have a massive registration advantage that's made a Democratic Senate win "near impossible," notes Bob Beatty, Washburn University's political science chair. Establishment Democrats have long been viewed with suspicion, especially in western Kansas, he said. But Hamilton being a pastor "gives him an open doorway to approach those voters in western Kansas that I would argue previous Democrats have not had." Zoom out: Black clergy — including Warnock — have a history of political action. But white clergy are stepping up to run as Democrats in substantial numbers. In Iowa, Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister, and Lindsay James, a Presbyterian pastor, are running in tight House races. Pastor Doug Pagitt, executive director of progressive Christian group Vote Common Good, says the religious left's surge is driven by candidates' personal convictions and years-long efforts from groups like his that have trained politicians on how to connect with faith voters. But Trump, who Pagitt says has repeatedly offended Christians , is also a motivator: "There is no single person who could be more helpful to Democrats reaching out to religious people right now than Donald Trump. He is the greatest recruiting tool." Yes, but: Trump has repeatedly defied predictions that the religious right wouldn't vote for him. The other side: Ralph Reed, chair of the conservative Faith and Freedom Coalition, tells Axios he's doubtful the Democrats' effort to lean into religion will attract voters of faith. "Voters will not vote for a candidate who professes to hold to their faith, but doesn't share their values," he says. One GOP opponent labeled clergy running for office as Democrats "PINOs" — Pastors in Name Only. But while Reed says he's confident Republicans will turn out after Trump's battleground blitz, he acknowledges their economic struggles. "Evangelicals and other conservative voters of faith, they live in the real world too," he says. Whether evangelicals are motivated to show up will be a major story of the midterms, says Ryan Burge of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics. The other will be how Catholics shift: "If the Adam Hamiltons, the James Talaricos of the world can win over people, it's going to be ... marginally attached Catholics," Burge predicts. The bottom line: There's a clear movement on the religious left — but the question remains whether voters will join it. Go deeper: "Shocking" number of white clergy run as Democrats in 2026

Kansas Senate candidates Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton faced off on the debate stage Wednesday night. CBS News' Katrina Kaufman has more.

Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Kansas, went out of his way to welcome President Trump to the state earlier this week. “Mr. President, welcome to Kansas! It’s been nearly 20 years since a sitting president came to Wichita,” said Hamilton, a soft-spoken pastor from the Kansas City metro area, in a direct-to-camera...

Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton clashed over Trump, transgender athletes and AI in a heated Kansas Senate debate on Wednesday.

In today’s issue: Candidates in some of the most critical Senate and governor's races took to the stage for a final time Wednesday as voters have already started casting their ballots, with less than two weeks to go before Election Day. While President Trump is not on the ballot, he was at the center of the conversation...

The Kansas Senate debate saw Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton try to define each other by their parties as Senate control hangs in the balance.

The Republican incumbent, Roger Marshall, is facing a surprisingly tough challenge from the Democratic nominee, Adam Hamilton.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) faced Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor, in their final debate Wednesday night, amid signs that the race is tighter than Republicans had anticipated. Both men walked a narrow political tightrope at the debate hosted by Nexstar Media Group. Hamilton sought distance from high-profile Democrats — like former President Biden and Senate...

Candidates in two gubernatorial races, as well as Kansas's Senate candidates and Michigan Senate hopefuls, will debate on Wednesday night. President Trump, meanwhile, is campaigning Wednesday evening in Clemson, S.C., with Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.). He's expected to speak at 7 p.m. EDT. Trump on Wednesday morning praised Russia's release of American teacher Stephen Hubbard...

Senate Republicans are weighing three last-ditch spending moves that would have been unimaginable six months ago: a cash infusion for Mississippi and even more money for South Carolina and Kansas. Why it matters: It's been 94 years since Kansas elected a Democratic senator, 44 years for Mississippi and 28 for South Carolina. But panic is spreading through the Republican Party. "The wall has broken. The enemy is inside the fort," one national Republican political operative told Axios. "We are now fighting hand to hand." The Senate map, which once looked impregnable for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is now full of vulnerabilities. Democratic challengers are polling within the margin of error in more than half a dozen deep-red states, according to internal GOP polls. The other side: "We're nervous about Alaska. We're nervous about Michigan. We're still going to hold the Senate at the end," said another operative. Zoom in: Two weeks ago, when Senate Leadership Fund decided to take out a $5 million "insurance policy" in South Carolina, operatives took a hard look at Idaho, South Dakota and Mississippi. At the time, they concluded they didn't need to spend any money in those states, according to a person familiar with the matter. But Senate Republicans are now reviewing the Mississippi race and may need to spend there to protect Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith from a surprisingly competitive bid by Democratic district attorney Scott Colom . Senate Majority PAC, the main super PAC for Senate Democrats, announced a $1.2 million investment in the race on Tuesday. Zoom out: In early June, SLF started to reinforce a Midwestern red wall to protect the GOP majority, reserving $28 million in TV advertising in Ohio and $11 million in Iowa . Those investments have ballooned to $93 million in Ohio and $53 million in Iowa. After an initial $5 million buy in South Carolina, SLF's spending has increased to $8.5 million, according to AdImpact. And a super PAC linked to Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is spending another $500,000 in South Carolina. SLF, which is linked to Senate GOP leadership, has earmarked $14 million for Kansas, and has spent nearly $12 million there so far. "No Republican seat is safe this cycle," another operative told Axios. What we're hearing: Some GOP Senate candidates do, in fact, appear safe this cycle. Republicans aren't overly concerned about Sens. Ashley Moody in Florida or Mike Rounds in South Dakota. The intrigue: The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $31.4 million last month, but its coffers appear to be drained. It took out a $20 million loan as it spends aggressively on its coordinated campaign strategy. SLF ended September with $155 million in cash on hand, according to its FEC filing. The group has spent or reserved $169 million worth of video ads since Oct. 1, according to AdImpact. Even President Trump promised to unload another $100 million before Election Day in a Tuesday post on Truth Social, bringing the total from his super PACs to $400 million. The bottom line: Republicans can still maintain their Senate majority, but none of the polling is giving them a great deal of confidence that they will do so.

John Thune says Republicans will outperform the polls in toss-up senate races despite shifting campaign cash away from Georgia and into Kansas.