Democrats find God

October 26, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Democrats find God

In Kansas, a state Donald Trump won by more than 16 points in 2024, a Democratic pastor named Adam Hamilton is running neck and neck with incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Hamilton leads the state's largest Methodist church in the Kansas City suburbs, and he's now testing whether a Democrat who talks openly about faith can win back religious voters in deeply red territory. Vox reporter Christian Paz spent several days following Hamilton around the state, attending campaign events in small towns like Salina, Lindsborg, and Ellsworth, watching a candidate who moves through a room less like a politician and more like a pastor working a congregation.

The pastor as candidate

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What you'll learn

1 Democrats find God
2 (00:01) **Reporter Christian Paz goes to Kansas** - Vox reporter explains he's on a "faith journey" to track down megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, who is running for Senate as a Democrat in deep-red Kansas.
3 (02:18) **On the ground with Hamilton's voters** - Paz describes following Hamilton to campaign events across Kansas and observing the crowd dynamics.
4 (04:51) **Hamilton's moderate positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights** - The candidate explains his "radical centrist" approach to divisive issues.
5 (07:21) **Can a Democrat actually win in Kansas?** - Hamilton needs to flip Republicans and independents, and he's made that central to his campaign.
6 (09:18) **Why some Republicans are breaking ranks** - Trump's unpopularity and incumbent Senator Roger Marshall's scandals are opening doors for Hamilton.
7 (10:31) **The limits of Hamilton's appeal** - Some conservative voters simply cannot be won over, no matter how much he talks about Jesus.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in over 90 years, but moderate pastor Adam Hamilton might break the losing streak. And his approach to religion could help Democrats around the country.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton addresses a crowd of supporters on Oct. 24, 2026 in Olathe, Kansas. Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images.

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