ABC News projects Rev. Adam Hamilton will win Kansas’ Democratic Senate primary — setting him up to face off in November against incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall, who ABC News projects will win the Republican primary.

Hamilton entered the race largely considered the frontrunner, despite only launching his campaign in April. He initially announced he would explore running as an independent, a move that drew criticism from the state GOP.

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But as the leader of the country’s largest United Methodist Church — which boasts more than 22,000 active members — Hamilton benefited from some name recognition. He reported raising some $3.6 million in the first quarter and touted endorsements from Democratic heavyweights, including Sen. Tim Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius, the former Kansas governor and Health and Human Services Secretary under the President Barack Obama administration. 

Marshall, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, was considered the presumptive nominee heading into the primary. A physician who served in the Army reserves as a medical officer, he was first elected to the House in the state’s 1st Congressional District in 2016. He won reelection in 2018. In the 2020 Senate race, he defeated then-Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier in the general election by 11 points.  

The Cook Political Report rates the general election race “Solid Republican,” but a strong Democrat could force Republicans to defend the seat. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas since 1932.

No Democrat has won the U.S. Senate seat since 1932. But Kansas Democrats are hopeful they can unseat the incumbent senator this fall amid growing economic concerns, particularly over tariffs and rural healthcare in a midterm election year when Trump’s favorability ratings have sunk.

In the governor race, ABC News projects Ty Masterson will win the Republican nomination.

Masterson, the state Senate president, competed in a crowded field as one of seven candidates. He received backing from President Donald Trump, who called in a tele-rally for the candidate less than a week ahead of the GOP primary.

Masterson’s victory is another win for Trump’s endorsement record after he recently backed candidates who won their primary races in Iowa, Montana and New Jersey. Masterson was also supported by Marshall, former Kansas GOP Gov. Jeff Colyer, the Kansans for Life Political Action Committee and the National Rifle Association.

Republicans are hoping to flip the open seat held by outgoing Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. In 2024, Trump carried the Republican-leaning state by a 16-point margin.