Democrats in Douglas County celebrated Tuesday the election of Adam Hamilton, the first Kansas Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in nearly 100 years.
Democrats had a strong night across the country, projected to win majorities in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Kansas was no exception, and Democrats in Douglas County celebrated the strong showing during a watch party at Maceli’s in downtown Lawrence.
After the announcement Tuesday, Melinda Lavon, chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party, said there were reports of fireworks going off throughout Lawrence.
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She said the Senate race shows that state and county voters are looking for honest leaders.
“We don’t feel like we’ve received that from our federal government in the last couple of years,” she said. “People that are Trump voters feel like they were lied to, right? About no new wars and only deporting violent criminals and lower gas and food prices — that’s what we were promised, and not what America got.”
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Adam Hamilton, the founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection, the nation’s largest United Methodist Church, defeated incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall with 52% of the vote with about 91% of votes counted.
Marshall had 45% of the vote and 3% went to Libertarian candidate David Graham. Marshall just finished his first term in the Senate after two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That snapped the longest single-party drought for a seat in Congress. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932.
Lavon said, in addition to Douglas County, she was excited to see the majority vote in Finney, Ford and Seward Counties go to Hamilton. She said she believed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in those counties pushed residents to vote blue.
Katlyn Conroy, a Lawrence voter at the Douglas County Democrats watch party, said the whole night had been exciting and surreal.
“I think everybody’s just really needing some heavy changes, and it looks like everyone around the country is overwhelmingly feeling like that,” she said. “And it’s exciting to know that we’re all on the same page.”
Lawrence voter Zane Batson said the outcome was heartwarming. People often say that local elections are more important than presidential ones — Tuesday night proved that for Batson.
Hamilton ran on a platform of affordability and listening to constituents, which he accused his opponent of forgoing.
In their final debate, Hamilton struck a middle ground on issues like border policy, but argued that current tariffs are creating “chaos.” He has also spoken out against the war in Iran and said he would vote against some weapons transfers to Israel.
Marshall’s spot in the Senate, which was considered a safe Republican seat months ago, catapulted into the national spotlight as polls showed Hamilton with a small lead heading into the election.
The race was the most expensive in state history, with more than $84.5 million spent between the two candidates. The two traded allegations throughout the elections: Marshall drew attention to a child sex abuse incident at a youth camp run by Hamilton’s church; Hamilton targeted Marshall’s debt collection practices as an OB-GYN.
President Donald Trump visited the state twice in recent weeks, making a last push to support Marshall.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read his complete bio at this link. Read more of his work for the Times at this link.
Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
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