Megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton stuns Roger Marshall to become Kansas’ first Democratic Senator in 94 years

Democrat and megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton has defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, becoming the state’s first Democratic senator elected since 1932 as a blue wave cost Republicans the House and likely the Senate.

Megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton has defeated Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in Tuesday’s election, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas since 1932, the New York Post reports.

Hamilton had 52.1% of the vote to Marshall’s 45%, with 94% of ballots counted as of 11 pm EST. The loss was a worst-case scenario for Republicans, who lost the House and now likely the Senate.

Marshall had urged supporters to turn out, saying at a debate last month: “If you want [it] to continue, you need to come out, because we delivered.” President Trump made two stops in Kansas to campaign for him.

Soaring diesel prices and controversies hurt the incumbent, including a New York Times report that he sued some 700 patients over unpaid bills. A Hamilton ad featured patient Meischa Zimmerman, who said: “Roger Marshall preyed on the low-income families of Kansas.”

Hamilton also faced scrutiny over a child sexual abuse scandal at his church. He acknowledged in a debate that he made a “mistake” by failing to bar a volunteer accused of abuse in 2005 from a retreat the following year.