President Donald Trump made a second visit to Kansas on Sunday with a stop in Salina, part of a last-minute push to boost Republican Sen. Roger Marshall’s reelection campaign in a race that could be crucial in deciding control of the U.S. Senate.
Polls show Marshall in a tight race with Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton.
Trump began the evening by emphasizing that he was wrapping up a long series of rallies for Republicans.
“I’m shutting it down tonight. This is it. I had to come here to make sure Roger was elected. I had to do it,” Trump said.
The visit to Kansas was a last minute event. It was announced, then canceled, before being canceled.
“They said to me two days ago, ‘Sir, would it be possible to make a quick stop in Kansas?’ It’s like, oh, great,” Trump said. “You think this stuff is easy, don’t you? Not easy.”
It was the latest step in a full-court push by Republican leaders that is unheard of in U.S. Senate races in Kansas. The state did not elect a Democrat since 1932. Vice President JD Vance had also landed Kansas twice to support Marshall.
Trump repeated his common arguments in attacking national Democrats.
But the president also repeatedly emphasized the practicalities of elections: getting voters to the polls.
“All I ask of you is one thing: Get out and vote, because if you do, we will have tremendous success,” Trump said. “I really want you to act like I’m on the ballot.”
The race was marked by a wave of offensive ads targeting Marshall. pursue hundreds of patients from his medical office due to unpaid bills and treatment of alleged abuse in a religious camp associated with his congregation.
Marshall also repeated his attacks on Hamilton at the event, saying he helped divide the United Methodist Church.
Trump launched the attack on Hamilton, repeating Marshall’s view that Hamilton is out of step with Kansans.
“Here in Kansas, you need to defeat the fake radical left running for Senate. The woke pastor named Adam Hamilton,” Trump said.
Trump again defended Marshall against attacks based on patient lawsuits and the 18% interest Marshall charged. Trump reiterated the argument that Marshall was required to take legal action against patients who failed to pay, although The Hill and others have reported that there is no law this forced Marshall to take the patients to court.
“If he didn’t do it, he would be breaking the law,” Trump said of Marshall’s lawsuits against patients. “He had to do it. He had the mandate to do it.”
The same day as the gathering, the New York Times reported that Marshall went against his staff’s advice and recorded an ad defending his actions targeting OBGYN patients who hadn’t paid their bills.
Marshall was quick to attack Hamilton as he spoke before the president took the stage.
“Adam Hamilton considers himself a unifier, but he was the main voice pushing the Methodist Church away until it ultimately split,” Marshall said.
Kansas News Service reporting found that while Hamilton is influential, church members say he has not had an outsized impact on LGBTQ policies that have caused some denominations to leave.
Massive advertising spending has driven up costs and made this Senate contest the most expensive election in Kansas history.
Marshall also pushed Republicans to participate, saying Democrats were motivated and had proven themselves to be “blockbusters.” He said he heard some people say they were angry about the disagreements in Washington and weren’t going to vote.
“Look, your anger only counts if it’s in the ballot box,” Marshall said.
Hamilton responded to the president’s latest visit with a video making his own final speech of the campaign, speaking directly to people who had supported Trump in the past or who had concerns about the national Democratic Party.
Hamilton said he voted for Republican President Ronald Reagan in the past and over time became a Republican, a Democrat and an independent.
“The person on the ballot always meant more to me than the letter after their name. I was looking for skills, character and values,” Hamilton said. “Now I’m not going to Washington to play partisan games. I’m running for senator for every Kansan.”
He specifically highlighted rising health care costs and the effects of the war in Iran on fuel and fertilizer prices.
“To all Republicans who feel that Washington has stopped listening and is making life more difficult: I would be honored to have your vote,” Hamilton said.
Stephen Koranda is the editor-in-chief of the Kansas News Service.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KMUW, KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KRPS and High Plains Public Radio.
Kansas News Service articles and photos may be republished free of charge by news media with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
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