Senator-elect Adam Hamilton said rising costs, tariffs and the Iran war helped his Kansas Senate campaign, while his account of voter conversations also pointed to frustration with political hostility.
Hamilton made the comments in a Nov. 4 interview with NPR. NPR said his election was the first Democratic Senate victory in Kansas since 1932. The Methodist pastor said his conversations suggested the race was about more than party control.
A Republican told Hamilton he had cast ballots in 46 elections without backing a Democrat until choosing him. A Greensburg woman asked him to help Americans see one another as fellow human beings. He recalled her saying, “I really want you to help us remember that we're fellow human beings.”
Hamilton said he kept his Republican registration until earlier in 2026. He called on Democrats to engage more religious voters and cooperate across party lines.
He said he hopes to work closely with Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican. “I want to be his best friend in Washington,” Hamilton told NPR, adding that he wants to demonstrate that the parties can cooperate.
