Pastor Adam Hamilton Considers Senate Run

Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Leawood’s Resurrection Church, is traversing Kansas in what he calls a “listening tour.”   The United Methodist reverend says he’s weighing an independent run for the U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Roger Marshall. Hamilton announced in late February that he had formed an exploratory committee and plans to decide shortly after Easter whether to enter the 2026 race.

ANALYSIS

That makes the possibility more than a passing political rumor but it’s not sure if Kansas will accept the liberal positions Hamilton has espoused. While he leads one of the largest United Methodist congregations in the country, his entry into a Kansas Senate race might bring national attention but fail to excite voters. Political scientist Bob Beatty of Washburn University told the Johnson County Post that independents face “a very difficult path” in a system dominated by the two major parties, even if they can shake up a race.

READ: Adam Hamilton was at the center of the dissolution of Methodist Church

Some are calling Hamilton a “spoiler” who would take just enough votes away from Marshall to allow the Democrat candidate to win. It’s a risky proposition to say you are a unifier, but regularly oppose Republican policies popular with voters, then claim democracy is at risk of dying if people don’t believe like you.

“The American experiment feels fragile,” Hamilton said in announcing the exploratory effort. “Families and communities are divided. We are better together and we need leaders who will work to unite us rather than seeking to divide.” KSHB reported that Hamilton will continue traveling across Kansas in March to hear directly from voters before making a final decision.

Hamilton has also framed the decision in personal terms. “It’s never been one of my aspirations to be in politics,” he said in an interview cited by KCTV5, but that in a political run he aspires “to make a difference in the world.” He has previously criticized conservative Christians who also believe they can make a difference in public policy. He has regularly talked about “Christian Nationalists” in describing them.

The reverend is most famous nationally for advocating changing the UMC’s Book of Discipline to permit LGBTQ ordination, including bishops, and same-sex marriage. That might be too much for socially conservative Democrats. On abortion, he blurs the lines of morality, writing in his book Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, that while abortion is generally wrong, he supports keeping it legal.

In an interview with KMBC, he said the growing political divide had pushed him to reconsider what had long been an “always no,” adding that he would try to build a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats and “see if it’s possible to bridge the gap.”

The challenge would be steep. The Johnson County Post reports that Kansas has elected only Republicans to the Senate for about 85 years. The online paper pointed to Greg Orman’s 2014 independent bid, which drew more than 40% of the vote but still fell short.

Hamilton, 61, said he is “not a candidate” yet, only “strongly considering this.” It’s likely that Hamilton would pull strongly from Johnson County’s growing Democrat base. He’s come out strongly in support of progressive policies but it would also mean voters would have to split their ballots, something that doesn’t happen often in mid-term elections.

Whether liberal and moderate Kansas voters will see Hamilton as a true independent voice, or a long shot with his own set of liabilities, will become clear after Easter.

–Dwight Widaman

Image: Resurrection social media.