Popular KC-area pastor considers independent Senate run to unseat Roger Marshall
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- An independent bid could split moderates and challenge Kansas’s two‑party dominance.
The founding pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist church informed his congregation on Friday that he is exploring a run for U.S. Senate in Kansas.
Adam Hamilton, senior pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, told parishioners that if he does run against incumbent Roger Marshall, he will do so not as a Republican or a Democrat but as an independent.
“I feel excited about the possibilities,” Hamilton told The Star in a phone interview.
Hamilton, 61, founded his first congregation in 1990. Thirty-six years and 24,000 members later, he has built his reputation and national profile in large part through his willingness to discuss politically charged issues from the pulpit.
Hamilton’s potential campaign would mark an extraordinary reckoning for Kansas’ two-party system, setting up a confrontation between a widely popular independent candidate and a political structure that has long favored Republicans and Democrats.
It would serve as a defining moment for Hamilton, testing whether he can convert his personal popularity and brand into votes while untethered from either party. Hamilton’s campaign would also certainly roil Kansas Republicans, who have blamed their recent losses in the race for governor on independent candidates and sought to tighten ballot access.
“Almost every week, there will be something else happening in the news related to D.C., related to political polarization or some policy, and I’m saying, ‘This can’t be right,’” Hamilton said. “We have got to do things better. We cannot keep on this path.”
The main theme of Hamilton’s campaign, he said, is an attempt to bridge the national divide between Republicans and Democrats. He pointed to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, framing it as a critical moment for Americans.
Hamilton has taken steps to raise his profile among his followers, often seeking to promote nuance on a range of political issues. He spoke at President Barack Obama’s second inaugural prayer service. He invited abortion opponents and supporters to speak at a forum in 2022 before Kansas held the first statewide referendum on abortion access following the reversal of Roe v. Wade. And he championed the 2024 decision by the United Methodist Church to allow LGBTQ+ clergy.
The Methodist pastor has gained a large online following, sharing clips of sermons that sometimes touch on politics. One clip, posted the day after the second killing of an American at the hands of a federal agent in Minnesota, garnered roughly 200,000 views and more than 3,000 likes. No protesters should be shot and killed for “speaking up for the vulnerable and powerless,” Hamilton said. Moments later, he prayed for immigration agents “doing a difficult job.”
‘Listening and discerning’
As part of his exploratory campaign, Hamilton said he plans to embark on a listening tour across Kansas to determine whether he can gain enough support to launch a formal campaign. The tour would coincide with Lent, the Christian custom of observing Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert.
“This whole season of Lent is for me, a time of listening and discerning,” Hamilton said. “Some time after Easter, we’ll say either, ‘Yes, I feel like I’m called to do this and I feel like I’m the right person to try this,’ or, you know, ‘I’m going to cheer somebody else on.’”
If he does launch a campaign, Hamilton would be looking to unseat Marshall, an incumbent Republican who has held his office since 2021. Republicans have dominated the U.S. Senate in Kansas, but U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids has also entertained a potential campaign to challenge Marshall as a Democrat.
Democrats who have already entered the race include retired corporate executive Sandy Spidel Neumann, real estate developer Erik Murray, former Biden USDA official Christy Davis, attorney Anne Parelkar, state Sen. Patrick Schmidt and Michael Soetaert of Wellington.
Hamilton said he has never met Marshall, but pointed to the Republican senator’s close ties with President Donald Trump. A staunch Trump ally, Marshall has already secured the president’s endorsement and has in recent years aligned his political agenda with conservative voters on a host of hot-button issues.
“From what I’m hearing, a lot of people who are more moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats feel like Sen. Marshall is so closely aligned with President Trump’s policies that there’s little room for representing all of Kansas,” Hamilton said.
Before founding his own church, Hamilton earned degrees from Oral Roberts University and Southern Methodist University. His mainline Protestant church, which he plans to continue serving until his retirement in 2030, now has locations spread across the Kansas City area.
Hamilton said he surveyed his congregation several years ago, finding a roughly even split between Republicans and Democrats. He acknowledged that his decision could alienate some members of his congregation, but said he hopes to bridge that divide.
“I love that about our church. It is something that makes it a really special place,” Hamilton said. “In a day and time when Republicans and Democrats have negative opinions of each other, in our congregation, they sit in Sunday school together. They take Communion from each other. They come to know they really care about each other.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
