Adam Hamilton, a Democrat and first-time political candidate, is running for U.S. Senate in Kansas in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Hamilton faces Republican Roger Wayne Marshall and Libertarian David C. Graham, according to BallotReady. Hamilton is certified for the ballot.

Hamilton said on his campaign website that before deciding to run, he went on a listening tour, visiting communities across Kansas to hear from people about their concerns. He said the high costs of food, energy and healthcare are straining Kansas families.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Age: 61, according to the Associated Press
  • Education: Master's in theology from Southern Methodist University, according to BallotReady
  • Family: Hamilton said he grew up in Prairie Village and married his high school sweetheart, LaVon, the week after graduation. They celebrated their 44th anniversary in June 2026, according to his campaign website. They have two daughters, a granddaughter and two dogs.
  • Kansas roots: Hamilton said he is a fifth-generation Kansan whose family came to Dickinson County 147 years ago and helped build the towns of Hope and Elmo. His mother's parents came to Wichita to work at Beechcraft, and his grandfather went on to fly for TWA, according to his campaign website.

Experience and public service

Hamilton founded the Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area in 1990, growing it from a few members meeting in a funeral home chapel into a 25,000-member congregation with nine locations, according to the AP. It is the nation's largest United Methodist church.

Hamilton has written more than 30 books, mostly on Christian theology, the AP reported. If elected, Hamilton said he plans to continue as senior pastor, preaching 12 to 18 times a year.

His congregation has given hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and raised tens of millions of dollars to support neighbors and communities in need, Hamilton said on his campaign website. The church became the largest source of donated food in Kansas City after the regional food bank, he said.

On the issues

The following positions are from Hamilton's campaign website.

Healthcare and seniors: Hamilton said he supports expanding Medicare drug price negotiation and extending savings to private insurance, reversing Medicaid cuts, restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies and protecting and investing in rural hospitals. He said he supports protecting Social Security, expanding Medicare to cover vision and dental, and prioritizing home-based care reimbursement.

Housing: Hamilton said he supports ending tariffs that drive up home-building costs and banning Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes. He also said he supports creating tax credits for first-time home buyers and public servants, and stopping anticompetitive price collusion by landlords.

Agriculture: Hamilton said he supports protecting Kansas farmers from tariffs, expanding export markets and passing the full farm bill. He also said he supports giving agriculture a stable legal workforce through H-2A visa program reform, making fertilizer in America and cutting prices at the pump with year-round E15 ethanol.

Energy and tariffs: Hamilton said he supports ending tariffs and unnecessary wars that drive up energy costs, requiring congressional approval for new tariffs, and requiring data centers to pay their fair share of electricity costs.

Endorsements

Hamilton has received endorsements from former Republican Kansas Gov. Bill Graves and the AFL-CIO. Graves said the country is "facing increasing partisan gridlock and division" and that it's "time Kansas does something different," according to The Hill. The AFL-CIO endorsement was reported by BallotReady.

Candidate responses were gathered from Hamilton's campaign website and public reporting. This profile is part of the Olathe Daily Digest's 2026 election coverage.