STAFFORD COUNTY, Kansas — Sen. Roger Marshall accused his Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton, of living in a wealthy, suburban “bubble” as their bitter Senate contest in Kansas heads into the final stretch.
Polls show the incumbent Republican faces a closer race than many expected in a state he won by 11 points six years ago.
The two sides have flung insults at each other, and Marshall has fended off questions about owning a house in Florida as Hamilton’s supporters tried to paint him as an absent senator.
But in an exclusive interview with Washington Secrets, Marshall said it was his rival, a megachurch pastor from the suburbs of Kansas City, who was largely absent from the real Kansas of ranches, wheat fields, and oil pump jacks.
“What does he know of the rural economy?” he asked.
“How many union workers go to his church? How many people in his congregation have calluses on their hands?”
Recent polls showed Marshall down by two points or running neck and neck with his opponent, sending shockwaves through Republican strategists as they try to hold the Senate.
Last week, it emerged that the Senate Leadership Fund was switching money from a difficult race in North Carolina to shore up Marshall. It is slated to spend $10 million in advertising, according to AdImpact, which tracks spending.
Secrets spent Saturday with the senator on a tour of the fishing ponds, farms, and small towns where five generations of Marshalls have farmed.
Marshall contrasted the area west of Wichita with the affluent suburbs of Kansas City, where Hamilton lives and preaches.
“He lives in a bubble,” said Marshall. “Johnson County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country.”
Hamilton lacked the background to represent the state’s farmers properly, he said.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture rates the sector as the most important driver of the state’s economy, contributing $62 billion a year and supporting almost 150,000 jobs.
“If he was on the agriculture committee, he would be focused on food stamps, not the Farm Bill,” said Marshall of his opponent. “He wouldn’t know what it is like to have wet crops sitting, waiting to be harvested.”
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Marshall has been a strong supporter of the bill, which reduces risks for farmers by subsidizing insurance policies that protect against losses caused by natural disasters, among other features.
Democrats have opposed the bill because it did not go far enough in helping states manage changes to their responsibilities around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps.
The contest is likely to follow similar dynamics to other races around the country. Hamilton will rack up votes in Kansas City and its suburbs, including Johnson County.
To win, Marshall needs to turn out huge swaths of rural Kansas.
He said his internal numbers showed he had a lead over his challenger, but were behind where he wanted them to be.
“I still think if the race is today, we win, but it would be closer than anticipated, and we always run like we’re 3 points down,” he said.
“I mean, we’re working our tail off. There’s no reason to assume anything. I still think all these undecideds come home and break our way.”
Senior party officials told Secrets they were worried that Marshall may not get the outside boost that helped him open up a sizable lead in 2020.
The SLF money has allayed those worries.
Marshall said his focus in the closing weeks will be to ensure his supporters turn out. And the SLF cash will provide a huge boost.
Even though we’ve … in Kansas terms … we’ve had good success fundraising, but it’ll at least help even the playing field a little bit,” he said, claiming that Democrats had been expected to outspend Republicans.
He has more support coming, with Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and James Lankford (R-OK) slated to campaign with Marshall in the coming weeks.
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