Candidates clash over Trump policies, Senate control in debate

The candidates in Kansas' surprisingly competitive Senate race faced off in a debate Wednesday evening, as Republicans fight to head off the possibility of their first loss in a Kansas Senate contest in nearly a century.

Incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Marshall hammered away at what it would mean if he were to lose — that it could help hand control of the Senate to Democrats: "My opponent's going to say anything he can to lie to get into that office and give control to Chuck Schumer."

Marshall's Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, tried to convince voters that he's not too progressive for Kansans and went on the offensive against Marshall over the impact of tariffs, the Iran war and other Trump administration policies on the state.

Marshall hewed closely to many of President Trump's views, and like him, blamed rising diesel costs on the war in Ukraine, rather than the Iran war.

"The real problem with the cost of diesel, in particular, is No. 1, is the Ukraine war, and because of that, diesel production has gone down," Marshall said. But at the same time, he said of Mr. Trump's recent announcement that the U.S. would purchase Russian diesel, "it doesn't sound like a great idea to me." He added, "If this brings Russia to the bargaining table and it ends the war, then I'm all for it right now."

While Marshall implored Trump voters to come out and vote for him, he said he does not always align with the president and has "objected" to him multiple times before, specifically citing the ICE raids in Kansas and Mr. Trump's short-term waiver on beef imports, both of which have hurt Kansas farmers.

Hamilton described himself as a "moderate or independent-minded Democrat" and vowed to "work across the aisle to try to bring people together to solve problems." 

Hamilton largely sought to distance himself from mainstream Democrats. He promised not to vote for Schumer to be majority leader if Democrats win the Senate, called the Biden administration's border policies a "disaster" and said during a discussion on transgender participation in sports: "I have a 12-year-old granddaughter. I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her."

Marshall argued Hamilton leans further to the left than he has let on. The Republican senator also questioned how independent Hamilton would be.

"He's going to say he's going to vote against these things, but every Democrat stands up, and when Schumer tells them to jump, they say, 'how high?'" Marshall said during the sports discussion. "So why is he going to be any different once he gets to Washington? He can tell us one thing, but let's see what his actions would be like."

Hamilton said he would try to "force" Mr. Trump to end the Iran war. High gas prices and tariffs are putting many farms in the state in dire economic straits, with many voters telling CBS News that they aren't sure if they will survive past next year if conditions continue. 

"It was not a good decision to go to war in Iran, and we need to get out," said Hamilton.

Marshall said he "want[s] this war to be over … as soon as possible, but we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon." He described Hamilton's views as "war through weakness, as opposed to peace through strength."

Hamilton slammed Mr. Trump's tariffs, arguing they have led to chaos and uncertainty. Marshall said the president's tariffs have led to a "manufacturing renaissance."

Mr. Trump's immigration policies have also drawn scrutiny in Kansas, including a string of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that agricultural leaders warned could cause workforce disruptions. Marshall pushed back last month, saying in a post on social media that ICE "needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement."

During Wednesday's debate, Hamilton called ICE's practices "militarized" and "politicized." Marshall said "all this discussion starts with a secure border," arguing Democrats could loosen border enforcement.

Polling suggests a tight race, and millions of dollars have gushed into Kansas, flooding the state's airwaves with anti-Marshall and anti-Hamilton ads.

The debate's moderator wasted no time in asking both candidates about their biggest controversies. For Marshall, that's the New York Times report about how the OB/GYN aggressively pursued his former patients — many of whom struggled economically — for medical debts and in some cases had them arrested. 

Hamilton faced questions regarding his church's response to an incident of child sex abuse at a youth summer camp in 2005. 

Marshall said "we did everything possible to take good care of people" and that many of his patients got free care. He conceded that some patients were turned over to collections agencies, which he called a fairly rare occurrence that is standard in the medical industry. 

At his rally in Wichita on Monday, Mr. Trump defended Marshall against these allegations, saying he was required by law to report the debt, and that he's been unfairly "made out to be some kind of Shylock character." (The Anti-Defamation League later said the term "Shylock," a reference to a Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," is "rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype.")

On the abuse scandal, Hamilton said his church subsequently changed its policy on handling allegations of abuse, and "ultimately, we helped get this man put behind bars." Still, Hamilton admitted, "I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back (to the youth camp). That was a mistake on my part." 

Cathy Bien, a spokesperson for Hamilton's United Methodist Church, told CBS News on Wednesday that the incident was "handled the best way [they] knew how 20 years ago." 

Kansas could decide which party controls the Senate, and even before the debate, early voting numbers were skyrocketing in the state. Election officials say that they are fielding numbers that rival the 2024 presidential election. 

The race could hinge on how many Republicans cross party lines to vote for Hamilton. At least 100 Kansas Republican leaders have endorsed Hamilton, including former governors, state officials and Mr. Trump's own former White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham.

But many are voting early to ensure Republicans maintain control of the Senate. One early voter in Wichita, Tim Higgins, told CBS News that he's backing Marshall because "it's important to keep the progress that the nation is currently on since the presidential election." 

However, for many, the race is about state issues. 

"Rural Kansas is struggling, urban Kansas is struggling," said former Republican state Rep. Terrie Huntington, who is voting for Hamilton. "I think people are looking for change."