Rev. Adam Hamiliton said something didn’t feel right about the way Congress has been operating over the last year.
“There was a sort of mean-spiritedness about people. There was the continued polarization,” Hamilton said. “There were decisions made in Washington that I felt were hurting people.”
In 1990, Hamilton founded the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, which has grown to be the largest United Methodist church in the country.
Now, Hamilton hopes to take his passion for listening and caring for others into the chambers of Congress.
KCUR's Up To Date plans to reach out to all the U.S. Senate candidates in Kansas ahead of the election.
The pastor was a late entry into a crowded Democratic primary race to challenge incumbent Kansas Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.
Hamilton is one of several religious leaders across the country running as a Democrat in 2026.
“[They] find themselves frustrated by a lack of what feels like human decency, kindness, compassion, a lack of concern for vulnerable people, massive budget cuts without really asking, . . . what are the impacts of this,” Hamilton said.
Hamiliton said that while Republicans talked openly about faith, Democrats got too quiet and didn’t want to be perceived as using religion to get votes.
After Democrats lost control of Congress and the White House in 2024, Hamilton thinks religion could help the party connect with conservative voters.
However, Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932.
People are fed up with politics and being an outsider is an advantage, Hamilton told KCUR’s Up To Date.
“One of the advantages I have is, as the pastor of the largest church in the state and pastor of the largest United Methodist Church, there are 300 United Methodist churches across Kansas,” Hamilton said. “People know me and I think they know what I stand for, and I stand for their values.”
After exploring running as an independent, Hamilton opted to run as a moderate Democrat, recognizing the limited success of third parties.
“But I also, you know, I find the values that I have that matter to me, the things that motivate me in running are about, you know, human decency and kindness and concern and compassion and safety nets,” Hamilton said. “And so those are, those are things that I feel like are under threat right now by the current administration.”
- Rev. Adam Hamilton, Kansas Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate
