Marshall and Hamilton Both Keep Their Distance From Party Leaders in a Tense Kansas Senate Debate

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton spent Wednesday night's debate trying to look less like their national parties. The race has become unexpectedly competitive, and the result could help decide control of the Senate.

The personal questions came first. Marshall was asked about a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills. He defended the practice and pointed to its charity work. "Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," he said, adding that it had 300 employees, a mortgage and an electric bill. Hamilton, a longtime pastor, was pressed over allegations about a volunteer at his church's summer camp who was alleged to be a sexual predator. He said he should have made sure the person did not return after an initial investigation. "That was a mistake on my part," he said.

Marshall on Trump. Shown footage of Trump telling Kansas voters to "pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot," Marshall was asked whether he backs every part of the president's agenda. He said no, citing recent disagreements over immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and beef imports. "President Trump is not always right," he said. He still made the case for turning out Trump voters: "If you want secure borders, if you want a strong military, if you want lower taxes," he said, they need to vote. He warned that electing Hamilton would help hand the Senate to Chuck Schumer.

Hamilton on his party. The Democrat said the Biden border policies "were a disaster" and that he believes in "strong and secure borders." He said he would not support Schumer for majority leader. His campaign message is "leading from the middle."

Where they agreed. Asked how many genders there are, Marshall said two, and Hamilton said, "There are two genders, male and female." Hamilton also said he does not want biological males competing against his 12-year-old granddaughter in sports, calling it "not a fair fight," though he said local officials should generally decide such questions.

The stakes. Fox notes Kansas has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932. Trump campaigned for Marshall in the state on Monday.

What the report does not say. It does not cite polling for the race, and the patient-lawsuit and camp allegations are presented as questions put to the candidates, not as findings. We watched none of the debate and rely on Fox's account.