President Donald Trump is scheduled to campaign in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, two days before the state’s Senate election, as the race between Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton has been classified as a toss-up by two major election forecasters.
Trump’s visit follows Fox News and The Cook Political Report reclassifying the Kansas Senate race from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up" within the past month, citing increased Republican spending in the state. Trump is set to speak at Salina Regional Airport at 6 p.m. local time, with doors opening at 2:30 p.m.
Recent polls have shown Hamilton leading in a state Trump won by more than 16 points in 2020, according to reporting from Newsweek. The shift in polling and forecaster ratings has intensified attention on the race, which was previously considered a safer Republican hold.
Trump’s campaign event comes after he posted a lengthy endorsement of Marshall on Truth Social on Sunday, calling the senator “one of the Best Senators in the United States of America” and framing the race in national terms. “Sen. Marshall is all that stands between the people of Kansas and Communists controlling the United States Senate,” Trump wrote. He also criticized Hamilton as a “Radical Left Phony” who was pretending to be a moderate, while praising Marshall’s positions on taxes, regulation, energy, and immigration. Trump concluded by urging voters to “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR ROGER.”
Marshall, a physician and incumbent senator, is running against Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor and megachurch leader. The Washington Examiner reports that Marshall’s reelection could influence the future of Republican policy related to abortion and the party’s healthcare agenda in the next Congress, as he has been a leading voice on healthcare policy and is one of only four physicians in the Senate.
Fox News cited the increased Republican focus on Kansas as a factor in its reclassification, stating that the party was devoting too many resources to the state to conclude that Marshall had a clear advantage. The Cook Political Report made a similar adjustment on October 6, moving the race from “Lean Republican” to “Toss Up.”
The Kansas Senate race has drawn national attention as one of the most closely watched contests in the country, with both parties closely monitoring the outcome ahead of the November 5 election.