Kansas
Great Plains US state; capital Topeka, largest city Wichita.
Kansas elected Democrat Adam Hamilton to the US Senate on 3 November 2026, unseating Republican Roger Marshall 50.9% to 46.0% on network projections. It is the state's first Democratic Senate win since 1932; Marshall serves until January 2027.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did Kansas move off Likely Republican for the first time this cycle?
Timeline for Kansas
Mentioned in: Trump questions honesty of the midterms
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Chris Mann ousts Kris Kobach in Kansas
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Hamilton beats Marshall 50.9% to 46.0%
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Voters back citizen-only voting in 5 states
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Democrats win the Senate and the House
US Midterms 2026Background
Kansas is a Great Plains state in the US Midwest, with Topeka as its capital and Wichita as its largest city. Its 2026 result changed one of its two Senate seats: Democrat Adam Hamilton takes the seat Republican Roger Marshall has held since 2021 when the new Congress meets in January 2027, after Democrats won the Senate on 3 November. Sabato's Crystal Ball and Cook Political Report moved late and in one direction, shifting the race towards Democrats on 23 September. Voters also approved a measure saying only citizens can vote.
The swing ran down the ballot. Democrat Chris Mann took 552,753 votes to Attorney General Kris Kobach's 539,297. The Associated Press called that race on 6 November with 99% reporting. Kobach stays in office until January 2027. Kansas counties are auditing six close contests, including governor, through partial hand counts under section 25-3009 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, with a 16 November deadline for every county. The governor's race stood at 50.3% to 49.7% on 4 November, and Ty Masterson has not conceded.
Kansas had not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, so its flip is the clearest marker of how far the 2026 swing ran into the Great Plains.
Kansas elects a Democratic senator
Network projections from unofficial counts published on 4 November 2026 gave Adam Hamilton 50.9% and Senator Roger Marshall 46.0% in the Kansas Senate race. Kansas had not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Marshall, in the seat since 2021, serves until the new Congress meets in January 2027.
The race moved for weeks before polling day. Cook Political Report shifted it from Lean Republican to Toss Up on 6 October, and Hamilton raised $8.27m from mid-July to 30 September against Marshall's $618,222, ending with more than three times Marshall's cash. Sabato's Crystal Ball listed Kansas among five Republican-held Senate Toss Ups by 14 October.
Republican money arrived late
Republican money reached the Kansas race late and through outside committees. The National Republican Senatorial Committee gave Marshall no party money in September or early October. On 5 October the Senate Leadership Fund gave $2.7m to a new committee, Plains PAC, which filed $1.59m against Hamilton on 25 October.
Democratic-side groups still led Kansas Senate filings that month, $36.05m to $13.59m, with WinSenate buying $8.14m of airtime against Marshall from 10 to 20 October. The Senate Leadership Fund added $4.91m against Hamilton in its final reporting week, 27 October to 1 November. Seven of the ten Democrats the fund targeted that week won, Hamilton among them.
Kansas elects a Democratic senator
Did other Senate ratings move the same day as Kansas?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.