Two former Republican governors of Kansas have endorsed the Democrat running for U.S. Senate, breaking with their own party in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the chamber since 1932.
Quick Take
- Former Kansas Governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden both endorsed Democrat Adam Hamilton over Republican Senator Roger Marshall.
- Graves criticized Marshall for refusing to accept 2020 election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania and for being “pretty much a yes vote” for the administration.
- Hayden tied his support to representing Kansas interests, echoing his own reasons for first running for office.
- Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in 94 years, making the crossover endorsements politically notable.
Two Former Governors Break From Their Party
Bill Graves, who led Kansas from 1995 to 2003, endorsed Hamilton first. Mike Hayden, governor from 1987 to 1991, followed weeks later, becoming the second former Republican governor to back the Democrat. Both men once held the state’s highest office as Republicans. Their decision to back Hamilton over an incumbent Republican senator marks a rare public split inside Kansas GOP ranks.
Graves made his support official in a campaign video shared by Hamilton’s team. He said the country was “facing increasing partisan gridlock and division” and that “it’s time Kansas does something different.” He called Hamilton “a bulwark of kindness, humility and service to others,” framing his endorsement as a vote for cooperation over party loyalty.
Why Graves Turned Against Marshall
Graves did not stop at praising Hamilton. He directly criticized Marshall, saying the senator had refused to accept the 2020 election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania. Graves described Marshall as “pretty much a yes vote for anything the administration wants” and called Hamilton “a fabulous candidate” running “from the middle” of the political spectrum.
Hayden’s endorsement, published as an op-ed in The Wichita Eagle, carried a different tone. He connected his choice to the same instinct that pushed him into politics decades ago. “I ran for office for the first time when I was only 28 years old because I felt the person representing my community in the legislature was failing to fight for the needs of our state,” Hayden wrote. “Today, I am endorsing Adam Hamilton for the U.S. Senate for the same reasons”.
A Rare Crack in a 94-Year Republican Wall
Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932, the longest active drought for either party in any state. Republican nominees have typically won by wide margins, often in double digits, which makes any high-profile defection stand out more than it might in a swing state. That history is exactly why these two endorsements carry extra weight with reporters and voters alike.
The endorsements are not happening in isolation. Across the country in 2026, other prominent Republicans, including former governors, senators, and party officials in states like Texas, Georgia, Montana, and Florida, have either endorsed Democrats or said they would withhold their votes from Republican nominees. Analysts caution this pattern reflects candidate-specific breaks rather than proof that rank-and-file Republican voters are abandoning the party.
Kansas politics has shown flexibility before, even inside its red-state identity. Democrat Laura Kelly won the governorship in 2018, proving statewide Republican dominance is not absolute. That history gives Hamilton’s campaign a real, if narrow, precedent to point to when arguing a Democrat can still win a top Kansas race despite the state’s deep Republican lean.
What the Endorsements Do and Do Not Prove
Graves and Hayden speak as individuals, not as representatives of the Kansas Republican Party or any current GOP officeholder. Their statements carry the credibility of two men who once ran the state, but the available record does not show formal backing from sitting Republican officials or party organizations. That distinction matters for anyone trying to gauge how far this crossover support actually extends.
🏛️ In a striking display of bipartisanship, former Republican governors are backing Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in Kansas. By positioning himself as a pragmatic centrist rather than a partisan, Hamilton is courting the GOP votes essential to winning this red-stat……
— Headlines (@lordnewss) October 10, 2026
Marshall has never lost a Kansas race by more than single digits, and the state’s Republican advantage remains structurally strong heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Whether two former governors can shift enough votes in a state that has backed Republicans for Senate for nearly a century is the real test still ahead on Election Day.
Sources:
washingtonpost.com, thehill.com, nbcnews.com, pbs.org, dailykos.com
