Senate candidate Adam Hamilton visits Kansas, speaks on issues during statewide bus tour

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - While Vice President J.D. Vance is in Topeka to rally for incumbent Senator Roger Marshall, his opponent in next week’s election is reaching Kansans in a different way.

Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton is in the midst of a 10-day bus tour across the state that will visit more than 20 Kansas communities.

The tour began on Saturday in northeast Kansas and made its way through Pratt on Monday. Dozens there gathered around a bandstand to hear Hamilton speak.

Republicans have held both of Kansas’ Senate seats for nearly a century, but Hamilton hopes to break that trend.

“We’ve got 30 to 40 percent of the people showing up are Republicans, saying ‘I voted for Donald Trump before. I’ve never voted for a Democrat (but) I’m voting for you,’” Hamilton said.

Hamilton’s Monday stump speech centered around the economy and the cost of living.

“The economics of what’s happening today in Washington, D.C. are killing us here in the heartland of America,” Hamilton said. “So people are looking for change.”

Hamilton spoke on how the war with Iran has affected the cost of gas and groceries.

“A lot of these (visitors), like (in Pratt), are farmers who are saying, ‘We’re so frustrated,’” Hamilton said.

The Senate candidate said visits from the vice president and from Trump himself to rally for his Hamilton’s adversary are a positive sign for Hamilton’s campaign.

“We Kansans get to have the final word,” Hamilton said. It’s not Washington, it’s not J.D. Vance or president Trump showing up here. When they show up, it actually helps me because people remember, these are the guys giving the policies that are hurting us today."