The Rev. Adam Hamilton has been exploring whether to run as an Independent candidate for U.S. Senate from Kansas. (Photo Courtesy of Baptist News Global)
Great Plains Conference | April 30, 2026
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Rev. Adam Hamilton, founding pastor of the largest congregation in The United Methodist Church, has announced that he will run for U.S. Senate, and he will do so as a Democrat.
Hamilton — senior pastor at Resurrection, a United Methodist Church, based in Leawood, Kansas — said in late February that he was considering a run for office against Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall as an independent. Hamilton decided to run as a Democrat after a listening tour that took him to 18 cities across Kansas, meeting with groups ranging in size from 20 to 100.
“In all 18 places, the very first question they asked was why was I not running as a Democrat,” Hamilton said.
Research also showed running as an independent would have a very limited opportunity for victory.
“I will work across the aisle,” Hamilton, 61, said. “I know both parties have warts, and both parties have good attributes. I will serve all people, and our team will reflect that. We have Republicans on our team. We have Democrats on our team. We are committed to doing what we’ve done for 36 years — to work together to accomplish things and to love one another.”
Hamilton founded Resurrection in 1990, with the church gaining its name because it started out meeting in a Kansas City-area funeral home.
He said he thinks his time as a pastor in The United Methodist Church has prepared him for service in the U.S. Senate.
“I’ve thought to myself at times, ‘What if you took all the skills you have in ministry and put them to use in this different way?’” Hamilton said. “I think you could really do something to benefit people.”
Hamilton said he heard many different perspectives while discerning whether to run for U.S. Senate. He had the opportunity to talk to farmers, ranchers, small-business owners, teachers and more about issues that greatly concern them and their families. He said they expressed frustration over tariffs, access to health care in rural areas, the overall cost of health care, rising costs of implements for farming and other issues in the livestock industry, including labor costs.
“People said, ‘We don’t feel like our senator is listening to us,’” Hamilton said. “As I met with people, I thought, ‘I care about these people. I really could be their champion. I would fight for them.’”
Hamilton’s candidacy appears to have seized the attention of the Marshall re-election campaign and the state Republican Party. Kansas GOP leaders recently filed an ethics complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Hamilton, alleging he was using “the corporate resources of the church” to assist his then-potential campaign, including in-kind contributions from the church. The complaint alleges church equipment and staff were used to create Hamilton’s February discernment announcement and that it was posted to the church’s YouTube account. Hamilton also talked about the beginning of his discernment process in the church’s weekly email newsletter.
Hamilton said the allegations are false. From early in his discernment process, he and the staff at Resurrection took steps to separate his actions as pastor from his actions as a candidate. That exercise included consultation with an attorney that specializes in compliance.
Bishop David Wilson, episcopal leader for United Methodists in Kansas and Nebraska, said he didn’t believe any ethics violations had been committed.
“Adam has assured me that Resurrection took steps to ensure separation from him as pastor and him as potential candidate when he announced his time of discernment of whether to enter the race,” Bishop Wilson said. “Announcements about his time of discernment appearing on Resurrection’s website and YouTube channel would be expected, as would any similarly large announcement from any pastor, from any church, via any of their communications vehicles about such a potentially big decision. These steps were merely ways to keep the congregation he founded more than 35 years ago informed.”
Hamilton will be one of at least 10 Democrats to run for the party’s nomination. He is one of five who had formally filed to enter the race as of this morning. Others include business owner Damon Anderson (Shawnee); former federal prosecutor Jason Hart (Wichita); surgeon Kevin Latz (Johnson County); and Michel Soetaert (Wellington), who describes himself as the first openly gay U.S. Senate candidate from Kansas. As many as six others have announced they are considering a run for the Democratic nomination but have yet to file. They include Christy Davis (Cottonwood Falls), Erik Murray (Wyandotte County); Sandy Spidel Neumann (Johnson County), Anne Parelkar (Overland Park), Patrick Schmidt (Topeka), and Noah Taylor (Kechi). A primary election is scheduled for Aug. 4.
Marshall is so far running unopposed for the Republican nomination, based on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website.
Despite the crowded field, Hamilton said he already can feel excitement surrounding his campaign. While on the listening tour, on several occasions participants would greet him by calling him Pastor Adam and would talk about how they either had attended Resurrection at one time or another, or how they have watched him preach online.
“I think I bring to the table a skill for listening,” he said. “I think if I can show people that I truly listen and genuinely care for people, and if I have a chance to stand before them and talk with them, I think I will be able to convince them to give me a chance.”
Steve Eginoire — lifelong Republican who said he has known Hamilton for more than 30 years — said he believes Hamilton is the right candidate to serve in the U.S. Senate and to help lead a resurgence in civility, unity and statesmanship.
“Today, it’s not about the party label,” Eginoire said. “Today it’s about the future of our country. Adam has proven that he can be successful at building bridges. The skills he’s honed over 36 years can help him achieve things that critics might call naïve or impossible.”
Building bridges is one of the desires voiced during Hamilton’s meetings across the state as people said they yearned for a reduction in polarization and an increase in civility.
“More than a few people said, ‘We need decency. We need compassion. We need to be kind,’” Hamilton said. “I thought, ‘You’re singing my song!’”
Hamilton’s church has pushed for civility in campaigns from candidates and supporters, especially since the 2019 mid-term elections, when Resurrection launched the first of its “Love Your Neighbor” campaigns.
Since then, the church has sponsored similar campaigns every two years to coincide with election seasons. The campaigns have featured biblical messages meant to promote unity, cooperation and respect for each other, regardless of political stances. This year’s campaign is titled “Love One Another.”
“These are just common things that hardly anybody can disagree with,” Hamilton said when he announced his discernment process.
The campaigns have included T-shirts, campaign-style signs and more in-depth methods of engagement such as town hall meetings to discuss challenging issues, and sermon series, along with supplemental materials meant to further the message of decreasing polarization in the Kansas City area, the state of Kansas, and the nation.
The last campaign, titled “Do Unto Others,” had more than 1,000 churches take part.
Bishop Wilson said the Resurrection civility campaigns are a reflection of the senior pastor.
“I have always admired Adam’s integrity — long before I was assigned as bishop in the Great Plains,” Bishop Wilson said. “I admire the way he seeks to listen to people and find common ground in issues of the church and the world.”
Bishop Wilson said it’s important for people to be involved in the voting process. He has worked with Rock the Native Vote in Oklahoma for more than 20 years. The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church say, “The strength of a political system depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens.” The Principles go on to say, “Voting can be an act of faith. Voting for policies and individuals that uphold our shared values of justice and peace is one way Christians can work for a world that more closely resembles the one God desires for us.”
The bishop said it is important for churches to understand what they can and cannot do during elections. Churches cannot endorse or oppose any candidate for public office. They cannot fundraise or make financial contributions to any candidate or political party. They cannot provide educational materials distributed by candidates or political parties. And they cannot rent space to any candidate for a reduced cost.
However, churches can host voter-registration events. They can provide education on topics in a non-partisan manner. They can welcome candidates for public forums if all candidates are invited to participate. They can encourage support for issues or policies important to their communities. And they can serve as polling sites.
Learn more in a flier from the General Board of Church and Society.
“I think it is important for all people to understand the importance of voting,” Bishop Wilson said. “We need to be informed and educated regarding this political process and knowing candidates and their stances on many issues that affect us all. I trust that we will be willing to learn and not be engaged in disparaging any candidates but rather stick to issues.”
As the campaign gets fully under way, Hamilton acknowledged his time at Resurrection will be reduced. He remains as senior pastor, working approximately half time while using vacation time for campaigning. He will preach some weekends, but other pastors on staff will share the pulpit at other times through the primary and, if he gains the Democratic nomination, through the November election.
Bishop Wilson said the mission at Resurrection will remain unchanged.
“Adam has worked closely with the Staff-Pastor-Parish Relations Committee and leadership team for many months to prepare for his decision to run for U.S. Senate,” the bishop said. “They have worked carefully to consider all possibilities of continuity for leadership and for the continued work of Resurrection. I appreciate their work and thoughtfulness and am comfortable with their plans while Adam is out and away from the church.
"The leadership team continues to work with Adam to explore what will happen should he be elected and his role at Resurrection,” Bishop Wilson continued. “I have met with the transition team since I arrived here as bishop in 2023, as he already had plans to retire in 2030. Those succession plans are in order and continue as planned.”
During the campaign season, Hamilton intends to participate in some parts of church life outside of Sunday worship. If he advances from the Democratic Party primary, he still intends to lead the celebration of the grand opening of the new Wesley Chapel on Resurrection’s Leawood campus in late summer. And he intends to present at the annual Leadership Institute in late September. He also will provide pastoral care in a limited capacity and will continue to lead the church’s executive staff.
“The people at Resurrection already know that Adam wants the best for Resurrection and for The United Methodist Church,” Bishop Wilson said. “His first love is for Christ and is one that listens to the will of Christ for his life. He will continue to do his best to work with the ministry and growth of the church and will continue to educate all to be followers of Jesus Christ and to lead by example."
Todd Seifert is director of communications for the Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. This article is republished with permission from the conference website.