(RNS) — The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of the largest United Methodist church in the U.S., is about to test whether a pastor running as a Democrat can flip a red seat — and become Kansas’ first Democratic senator in nearly a century.
The Rev. Adam Hamilton preaches on atonement at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, on March 29, 2025. (Video screen grab)
The Associated Press called the race for Hamilton within minutes of polls closing on Tuesday (Aug. 4), with the pastor ultimately besting four other challengers by winning just shy of 35% of the vote. Hamilton will face Sen. Roger Marshall, an incumbent Republican who has identified as a non-denominational Protestant, in the general election.
“I didn’t plan to run for office. I’ve spent my life as a pastor, and I try to care for people,” Hamilton, who has run on a platform that stresses making life more affordable, said in his victory speech.
He later added: “Sometimes we need the government to help as well. The role of Washington is sometimes going to do the things that we as communities cannot do.”
With the win, Hamilton becomes one of seven clergy, former clergy and seminarians who have successfully become Democratic nominees running for Congress. He told RNS in April that many clergy are running because they see a discrepancy between their faith and the actions of the Trump administration — especially its immigration policies and cuts to food assistance programs.
“I think there’s a lot of pastors and a lot of Christians who have just said, ‘This is not us,’” Hamilton said.
Hamilton’s church, Resurrection, has over 24,000 members and nine locations in the Kansas City area. He announced his run for U.S. Senate in April, saying his decades in ministry prepared him to be a bridge builder in Congress.
“In a world that feels more and more divided, I’ve had the privilege of being a pastor for 36 years of a church that’s roughly equally divided between Republicans, Democrats and independents,” said Hamilton at the time. “Our people love each other precisely because of their differences.”
During his campaign, he has emphasized the need to address tariffs, limited health care access, rising costs and workforce shortages caused by immigration policies. He also said he hopes to bring “decency” to Washington.
Hamilton plans to remain senior pastor at his church but will not be preaching during the remainder of his campaign. If elected, he plans to continue serving Resurrection part time and anticipates retiring from his church role by 2030.
Winning a statewide seat as a Democrat is an uphill battle in Kansas, and the U.S. Senate race is still rated as “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report. But Hamilton is already defying expectations: Since launching his campaign, the pastor has raised nearly $3.7 million, a record figure that signaled a fundraising advantage over his opponents in the primary.
