Former Kansas governor Bill Graves has endorsed Democrat Adam Hamilton for the Nov. 3 U.S. Senate race, urging Republicans and unaffiliated voters to cross party lines in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Graves criticized incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall and Washington's partisan gridlock, while recent reporting highlighted lawsuits Marshall filed against more than 700 patients. The Cook Political Report still rates the race "Likely Republican," but some polls show a much tighter contest.
Former GOP Governor Bill Graves Endorses Democrat Adam Hamilton, Urges Kansans To Cross Party Lines
Graves was governor and secretary of state in Kansas for a combined 16 years. He said Marshall
Former Kansas governor and longtime Republican official Bill Graves has publicly endorsed Democrat Adam Hamilton in the Nov. 3 U.S. Senate race, urging Republicans and unaffiliated voters to consider crossing party lines in the traditionally conservative state.
Graves, 73, who served eight years as Kansas secretary of state before two terms as governor, told CNN that his endorsement is unconventional in a state that has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932. Still, he said Kansas voters should put the state’s interests ahead of strict party loyalty.
"My point is to reach out to Republicans and unaffiliated voters and make sure they know in our state it's OK to cross party lines," Graves said. "It's OK to vote Democrat in this Senate race."
Graves highlighted Kansas’s history of surprise outcomes — noting the state’s repeated election of Democratic governors — and argued that long-standing partisan patterns should not dictate every choice at the ballot box.
He formally announced his endorsement in an opinion piece for the Kansas City Star, criticizing incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall as having "turned his back on Kansas" and praising Hamilton, a 62-year-old pastor, as someone who "understands what it means to be compassionate in lifting up those in need." Marshall is 66.
Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS
Marshall, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, has faced renewed scrutiny after a New York Times report that said he sued more than 700 of his patients over unpaid medical bills prior to taking office — actions that the report said led to roughly 81 arrests. The report has become a point of contention on the campaign trail.
"My way might be viewed as 'old school,' but the current way of doing things isn't working, and it's driving our nation into the ditch," Graves wrote, criticizing partisan gridlock in Washington and urging public servants to prioritize service over politicking.
Longstanding partisan patterns give Republicans a structural advantage in Kansas: the state has sent Republicans to the U.S. Senate for more than nine decades. The Cook Political Report currently lists the race as "Likely Republican," downgraded from a "Solid" GOP rating earlier this summer. Some polls now show the two candidates within a one-point margin, indicating a tighter contest than expected.
Donald Trump carried Kansas in 2024 by roughly 16 points. Since the start of his second term, his approval ratings have fallen, and Democrats have led the generic congressional ballot by about seven points in some national measures heading into the midterms — trends campaign strategists say could influence competitive races even in reliably red states.
The Daily Beast and other outlets have sought comment from representatives for both Hamilton and Marshall; the campaigns were contacted for response to Graves's endorsement and the reporting on Marshall's pre-office lawsuits.
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