Kansas’s former GOP governor backs Democrat over Marshall for Senate

Former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves (R) on Tuesday endorsed Adam Hamilton, a Democrat challenging Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall (R).

Saying the country is “facing increasing partisan gridlock and division,” Graves said it is “time Kansas does something different” and elect Hamilton, a Methodist minister.

“For the last six years, Senator Roger Marshall has turned his back on Kansas,” the former governor remarked in a video Hamilton shared to social platform X. “In contrast, Adam Hamilton stands as a bulwark of kindness, humility and service to others.

“It is for those reasons, and many more, that I believe Kansas should send Adam Hamilton to the U.S. Senate.”

The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee for comment.

Graves, 73, led the state from 1995-2003. Prior to that, he spent eight years as Kansas’s secretary of state.

This is not the first time Graves has endorsed a Democrat for statewide office. In 2018 and 2022 , he backed Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) over her GOP opponents, with Kelly winning both times.

Hamilton, the senior pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, is trying to become the first Democrat to win a Senate race in the Sunflower State since former Sen. George McGill in 1932. To do so, he will have to defeat Marshall, an obstetrician in his first term in the upper chamber.

The election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the race as “likely” to go Republican. The Hill’s polling partner, Decision Desk HQ , also gave Marshall a roughly 8 in 10 chance of beating Hamilton as of Monday.

As of the end of June, Marshall’s campaign held a financial edge over that of his Democratic opponent. The Republican had nearly $5.4 million on hand to less than $1.8 million for Hamilton, according to the Federal Election Commission.