Adam Hamilton, Kansas U.S. Senate Candidate, Just Announced Run as a Democrat | 5-1-26

Come on up to 10 o'clock, it's uncancelled on KCMO talk radio right after Pete Mungo and Mungo in the morning.

Well, yesterday the big news coming right here in Johnson County, Pastor Adam Hamilton, of course church of the resurrection announcing that he is going to run for

a United States Senate here in Kansas as a Democrat. He is joining us on 95 7 FM KCMO talk radio. We are always on the KCMO talk radio app as well.

Adam, good morning. Thank you for being here on KCMO talk radio and what was that moment for you when you said I'm doing this. I'm all in.

Well, thank you for asking. Thanks for having me on your program to really appreciate it. You know, I think it was listening to Kansas listening to there's two things I'll say listening to Kansas and prayer.

So I went out and spent several weeks visiting a couple days a week across Kansas 18 towns and I was hearing people and I just wanted to know what are they feeling? What are they experiencing?

When I heard people talking about their fears, talking about their concerns about what's happening in Washington. You know, I felt a great compassion for that. I thought I think I, you know, I somebody's got to do something.

I feel maybe I could be the one I'm not sure. And then a lot of prayer and I tell you there came this one moment where I just felt like.

Okay, I felt a piece about this like this is what I believe got us called me to do it this time and that I want to be I want to be able to help.

I want to make a difference in our country and I love our country and I love the state of Kansas and I want to be a part of the solution and not the problem.

I think a lot of people look at what's happening in the world and say, well, somebody should do something.

And I was saying that to somebody should do something and finally somebody said, why not you? And I began to think maybe why not me?

So when you announced you are going to explore this possibility, the initial plan was to explore whether or not to enter the race as an independent.

That obviously is not going to happen. So what was the moment and why did you say I'm going to do this as a Democrat?

Yeah, that's a great question. So in every one of the 18 times I went to the first thing out of the shoot when I would talk to people about here.

I am considering running as an independent. The first thing people say is please don't do that. Please run as a Democrat. Choose a lane, pick a party because we don't think you can win as an independent.

And we don't want to vote. We don't want to waste a vote for somebody who's not ultimately going to win and we feel like you're going to split the vote.

And I had Republicans telling me this, like look, I don't think you should run as a Republican in the primary because I don't think you can beat the incumbent.

And we're looking for change. Run as a Democrat. Run as a Democrat. I had more Republicans telling me that than Democrats run as a Democrat.

And be an independent minded Democrat, which is who I am. What I really want to do is build bridges.

I am proud to be running as a Democrat, but I want to be really intentional about building bridges across the aisle because what's broken right now in part is the fact that the two parties are not working together.

They are not working together to solve problems. So we can send astronauts to the dark side of the moon, but we can't solve health care and health insurance for people who need it.

And so anyway, I finally said, OK, if that's a path to be able to make a difference, I'm, I'm all in. I'm going to do that.

And but I want to be really clear to people. My aim is to build bridges. I've been Republican, a Democrat. I have, you know, I vote across.

I look for character and competency when I vote in the, you know, when I go to the voting booth.

And so I want to be that person who can build those bridges across the aisle right now.

I don't think we have that in Washington as much as we should.

So when you look around the state of Kansas and you did your 18 town listening toward the last few weeks, you know, I mean, the state has certainly voted for Democrats.

Look at Governor Kelly two times, but you look at 24 and Donald Trump won the state by 16 points.

So as you go around the state, how are you going to make sure the stigma of the Democratic Party nationally is not something that you get branded with around the state of Kansas, where you know, the national brand of the party is, is not overwhelmingly popular based on what we've seen some recent elections.

Yeah, I think that's right. There is there is a pretty negative view of Democrats across the state of Kansas.

I think when you think about the national Democrats, when they meet people, you know, again, Governor Kelly wins across the state of Kansas.

Sure, David's in the, you know, in this, in this area.

And I think people go, OK, when I know you and I know that you're a bridge builder, you actually listen and you care about my concerns.

That changes everything. And that's what I found when I've been talking with people. They're like, you know, talk about a ton of people yesterday.

They're like, I haven't voted for a Democrat for Senate in my life, but I'm going to be voting for you. I know who you are. I know you stand for you.

You hold the values that I hold. And I'm with you. And I think that's, I think we're going to see a lot of that this time around.

I think there's some real frustration with what's happening in Washington. I think there's a sense of people aren't listening and paying attention.

And I think Laura Kelly has been a great governor for Kansas and people feel that. And, you know, I think I try to bring much of that same spirit of bipartisanship of trying to bring the concerns.

And really, you know, taking seriously, you know, people on both sides of the aisle, I would be excited to have a chance to represent Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

Pastor Adam Hamilton is joining us on KCMO launching his US Senate bid yesterday.

When you were launching the exploratory committee, you noted here, quote, I value Republicans. I value Democrats.

And they each bring something to the table that is important. So now that you're running as a Democrat, what is something that is a Republican belief or Republican ideology or value that you believe in?

Well, I think we need to have a strong defense. I think that's really important. I think we need to have, I want to have as limited a government as we can.

But at the same time, you know, we need and regulations. I think we're over regulated at, you know, in many cases, but I also as a Christian, I look at the fact that we struggle with what Christians call original sin.

So that means sometimes people do the wrong thing and we have to have laws and regulations that will, you know, that actually protect other people. But I generally, you know, generally like to see his feet, you know, as much as limited a government intervention as possible.

So I'd say limited government. I would say, you know, defense. I would say fiscal responsibility is really important. And that's where again, both parties need the other, you know, Democrats are very concerned about safety nets and making sure that, you know, vulnerable, vulnerable people are protected and asking serious questions about when do we deploy defense.

And Republicans are serious about let's make sure we have a good defense and let's make sure we're being physically responsible. We can pay for the programs that we're supporting. And I think both of those are important counterbalances to each other.

Do you anticipate having some Republican endorsements as this campaign rolls along for you?

Absolutely. You know, in just quiet conversations, I've heard from people saying, look, I am really supportive of who you are and what you want to do. And I'm, you know, you're going to be hearing from me or hearing from people.

I think there's a sort of grounds for folks who are Republicans for Hamilton and they're going to be, you can hear a lot more about that across as to Kansas. And I've heard this from other, other Republicans across the country who said, hey, I've heard you might be running really excited about that. And I think you're the kind of person we need in Congress.

And then I think what Americans are clamoring for is people who are willing to put country above party. And that's, you know, I think that's those the kind of people are going to say, look, you're one of those people with character.

And you stand for things and you stand for values and things that I believe in. And I'm with you. Doesn't matter whether you have a deer or an hour by your name.

So as you walk this fine line and the balancing act that you're going to go ahead with, you're going forward, what is something, you know, I asked you about something you agree with Republicans on? What's something that you disagree with Democrats on?

Well, I think there are times that the pendulum swings too far and I wouldn't say Democrats as a whole or Republicans a whole either way.

But I would say if you look at the pendulum can swim so far to the left and there are places where, where people are on the far left of the party. And I'd say that just doesn't reflect Kansas values and it doesn't reflect my values. And so, you know, I think there needs to be a sort of reasoned and critical thinking when it comes to some, you know, some of those national policies.

And I think, you know, I, I just think again, we need to be reasonable. We need to be, you know, we need to be people ago. What can we do? How do we compromise to be able to bring about, you know, the best, you know, the best good we can for the most number of people.

And I think sometimes that gets lost. So, yeah, I just think there are times where I look at things that I go, really that, you know, surely we can, surely we can come up with something better than just a far left expression.

And this is why people on the far left tend to criticize me and people on the far right tend to criticize me, but I think there's a whole lot of people in the broad middle.

They go, you know what, big guys are reasonable and he stands for things that I believe in, which have to do with stuff that's, you know, these are fundamentals values, even in scripture, love your neighbor.

Do you want others to have them doing to you, you know, care for the vulnerable and the poor, you know, these are all things that most of us would say, yes to that.

Well, listen, I think a lot of people are going to hear that and agree with you on that. And I think that's a fair commentary.

But what's, where, where is like the left gone? What's a specific issue with the left? You think it's just gone too far out to the left?

Well, I would say, so here's an example. I think when Biden was trying to cancel, you know, a cancel student loan debt. And I'm like, wait a minute, I had to pay for my college loans.

I, you know, I realize that there are, we need to have some policies to say there may be people in a difficult situation.

We need to address, but I would be one of those who said I'm a little cautious about, you know, card launch, canceling all student loan debt.

So those are the kind of things I think we need to have, you know, strong border policies.

But we also need to have compassion and, and we need to be, you know, I think people were very frustrated with the number of immigrants who came in in the first three years of Biden administration.

And I think that, you know, that was harmful to, you know, to our country. I think it was harmful to our country in particular.

It was harmful to, um, to the democratic brand. I think I think it may begin.

You know, so I think having reasonable laws. I think we need to have those. And I think that's important. I think it's critical to our future.

Was this decision by you as much about what you saw from Senator Marshall and, and how he voted and, and how he handled himself or was it something else and more about, you know, what you wanted to do.

How did you balance those two things in your decision?

Yeah, it was less about what I wanted to do. I, you know, I had four years until retirement and I love my job and I love my people at resurrection.

It's an awesome church. And, but I find myself increasingly frustrated by several things. First, you know, Congress's role, you know, and I'll say the Senate now, the Senate's role is to be a check balance on executive power.

And the president's not always going to make the right decisions. He's going to say or do things sometimes that somebody should be saying, Hey, that's not right. That doesn't reflect who we are.

I think I think of myself. Come on, Roger. Speak up. Come on, Senator Marshall. Speak up. You know, you have the presence here. Speak up when he says things that are belittling to others or threatens our allies or when, you know, when we have, you know, in tariffs are, you know, are being announced that are, you know, 10% one week and 40% another.

I think, okay, you know, I know you guys are close, but it's time to, you know, somewhere Congress has to speak up and I just found myself increasingly frustrated with things that I were seeing and I think this is hurting people.

And I think we have to do better than that. And so it was sort of a growth, you know, a slow build over the last year, a feeling like we have to do better than what we're doing today.

And again, the way the framers of our constitution is on our constitution is that each of the each of the branches of government to serve as a check and balance. And we need, you know, in this case, Republicans are in the majority.

You can't speak up. You've got to have moments where you have the courage to say, this is not right. And it's interesting when senators in the Republican Party are finally retiring. They find a voice. They're speaking up. They're saying, Hey, this isn't right. But until then they seem to be kind of quiet and going along with things that I can't believe they think are right.

And, and so I, you know, and that has to do with things again that are, you know, it's also not working together. So I was out in Kansas and hearing from a woman who said, you know, I'm paying $2,400 a month for health insurance.

I can't, I can't do that. I'm going to be priced out of health insurance. And I'm thinking that's most people's house payment or more for health insurance. And, and yet we've got Republicans and Democrats not working across the out of this problem. But just this is a lot of these kind of things. So I'm feeling like

I wish that our senator and our senators as a whole, I mean to Jerry Moran's, you know, I've heard really great things about him. But I wish our senators a whole would listen better to their people and would speak up whatever voice.

And lastly, what did you do to tick off Elon Musk that got your campaign account suspended on X?

I have no idea exactly what happened, but I thought it was rather interesting. I mean, I, I hope people go check it out and they can go to Hamilton Hamilton for Kansas.com and see my exploratory video since X has taken it down, which I find just fascinating.

But I'd love for people to go to Hamilton for Kansas.com and just watch my story video and see why did Elon Musk take that down?

And they have a good answer. I'd love to know, but I found that really, really interesting and a bit disappointing, obviously.

I, you know, I have no idea. I think it's kind of funny.

All right. Pastor Hamilton, thank you. We appreciate you being here to kick off your campaign. We'll talk to you. And I know there will be more to get into in the months ahead as this campaign gets off the ground. Thanks for your time.

Hey, thanks for having me on. Have a great day. All right. Adam Hamilton on KCMO talk radio 95 7 FM.

There you have it. It's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. And there will be a lot of time to dig into more of the issues in the weeks and months to come.

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Hey, I'm Chris Fanfleet. Go behind the scenes and beyond the headlines with the biggest names in pro wrestling and beyond.

You could pop up in WWE tomorrow. Would Sarayabee there or would page be there? Page 100%. So when you're setting up Logan Paul to frog splash you through the announce table.

It's going through your mind. This should make every headline in the world. It makes sense, right? New jelly roll. We knew we had that kind of a moment.

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