Democratic Kansas Senate candidate Adam Hamilton accused Vice President JD Vance of attacking his faith and spreading falsehoods about his religious beliefs, as Republicans battle to protect a seat they have held for more than a century in what has become one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 midterm elections.
Hamilton, the pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, the nation's largest United Methodist congregation, responded during an interview that aired Sunday on ABC's This Week after Vance questioned his Christian beliefs and accused him of holding views that were inconsistent with Christianity. During the interview, host Jonathan Karl referenced remarks in which Vance said Hamilton believed "it's a sin to be white and a sin to raise cattle and eat meat."
"I thought it was a sign of desperation," Hamilton said. "It was pathetic. He doesn't know me. Doesn't know anything about my faith."
The clash comes as Democrats look to pull off a historic upset in Kansas. Republicans have held the Senate seat continuously since 1919, and no Democrat has won a Kansas Senate election since George McGill's reelection in 1932. Yet recent polling has suggested the race between Republican Senator Roger Marshall and Hamilton is effectively tied, prompting national Republicans to devote increasing attention to Kansas, a state President Donald Trump carried by more than 16 points in 2024.
Hamilton has emerged as an unconventional Democratic challenger. A longtime pastor and author of more than 30 books on Christianity and theology, he has campaigned as a centrist focused on affordability, energy costs, healthcare and agriculture while seeking support from independents and moderate Republicans.
Newsweek reached out to Vance, Marshall, and Hamilton on Sunday for comments.
During the interview, Karl asked Hamilton about remarks Vance made during a September 14 campaign stop in Olathe, Kansas, while campaigning for Marshall.
Hamilton said he was surprised by the attack.
"The vice president of the United States would come here and attack the faith of a pastor of the largest church in the state of Kansas, the largest United Methodist church in the country," he said.
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Hamilton pointed to his decades in ministry and challenged Vance's characterization of his beliefs.
"I wake up every morning. I slip to my knees. I offer my life to Christ. I pray for the Holy Spirit to lead me. I read scripture. I carry the Bible with me everywhere I go," he said.
At one point, Hamilton added: "Let's compare theology. Let's compare our faith and the impact we're having on the world."
'Every Single Line...Was a Lie'
Karl also cited comments in which Vance accused Hamilton of holding views that he argued were inconsistent with Christianity.
According to the remarks read on-air, Vance said Hamilton believes "it's a sin to be white and a sin to raise cattle and eat meat."
Hamilton flatly rejected the accusation.
"Every single line of what you just read was a lie," he said. "There was no part of what he said was true."
Hamilton said the criticism stemmed from a sermon discussing racism and the Christian concept of repentance.
"I never talked about repenting for being white. You can't find that in anything I've ever said. Or repenting for eating beef," he said.
He argued the controversy reflected broader problems in the country's political discourse.
"That's what's wrong with our country today, with our politics, with what's happening in Washington, D.C.," Hamilton said.
A Different Kind of Kansas Democrat
The exchange highlights why Republicans have targeted Hamilton so aggressively in recent weeks.
Marshall and his allies have attempted to portray Hamilton as a liberal Democrat out of step with Kansas voters. Marshall has previously described him as "too woke for Kansas," while Republicans have argued his sermons mirror the national Democratic Party's priorities.
Hamilton has instead tried to present himself as a faith-based moderate. During the ABC interview, he emphasized that he spent much of his life as a Republican and said he has supported candidates from both parties.
In a recent Politico interview, Hamilton described himself as "an independent-minded Democrat."
"I'm standing in the center, and it's the extremes that seem to be trying to pull us apart," he said. "But I think there's far more of us who stand in the center saying, look, we've got to work together."
Hamilton's balancing act reflects a broader challenge facing Democrats in red states. Earlier this month, Hamilton suggested former Vice President Kamala Harris should keep her distance from the Kansas race, arguing her involvement could undermine his ability to win over crossover voters in a state Trump carried comfortably in 2024.
The comment underscored Hamilton's effort to position himself as an independent-minded candidate rather than a standard national Democrat, a theme he returned to repeatedly during Sunday's interview. Hamilton said he had been both a Republican and a Democrat during his adult life and argued that voters were looking for leaders focused on competence and character rather than party labels.
"What matters to me more than the letter behind your name is who you are, what you stand for, your character," he said.
Why Kansas Matters
The increasingly heated rhetoric underscores growing Republican concerns about a race that, until recently, was not expected to be competitive.
National forecasters have steadily moved Kansas closer to battleground status as Democrats seek the four-seat net gain needed to retake control of the Senate. Concerns about inflation, diesel and fertilizer costs, the war in Iran and Trump's approval ratings have helped put pressure on Republicans in several red and red-leaning states.
Hamilton has particularly focused on economic frustrations among farmers and rural communities, arguing that Republicans have failed to address rising costs.
During his interview with ABC, he said many Kansans who supported Trump now feel Washington is not listening to them.
"We need a senator who's going to say, Mr. President, this is not good for my people," Hamilton said.
Whether that message is enough to break one of the longest Senate winning streaks in American politics remains to be seen. But with just weeks remaining until Election Day, both parties increasingly view Kansas as a race worth watching.