Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton repeatedly sought to distance themselves from the most unpopular elements of their respective parties Wednesday night during a contentious Kansas Senate debate.
Both candidates battled over President Donald Trump, immigration, the war in Iran and more in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
The debate opened on a personal note, with both candidates pressed over controversies that have fueled attack ads in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Marshall was questioned about a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills. The Republican defended the practice while emphasizing the millions of dollars in free care his practice provided.
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“Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business,” Marshall said. “We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church’s summer camp alleged to have been a sexual predator. Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp after an initial investigation.
“I should have checked to make sure that he wasn’t going back,” Hamilton said. “That was a mistake on my part.”
The candidates spent much of the rest of the debate trying to define each other by their respective national parties.
Marshall repeatedly warned that electing Hamilton would help hand control of the Senate to Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while Hamilton sought to portray himself as an independent-minded Democrat willing to break with his party.
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That divide came into focus when the moderator played footage of Trump campaigning for Marshall in Kansas earlier this week and telling voters to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.”
Asked whether that meant he would support every part of Trump’s agenda, Marshall said no and pointed to recent disagreements involving immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and beef imports.
“Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right,” Marshall joked. “And President Trump is not always right.”
Nevertheless, Marshall emphasized his support for much of Trump’s agenda and urged the president’s supporters to turn out for him.
“We need the Trump voters to come out,” Marshall said. “If you want the Trump agenda to continue, if you want secure borders, if you want a strong military, if you want lower taxes, then you â and you voted for President Trump â you need to come out.”
Hamilton faced a similar challenge when moderators pressed him over his past support for Democrats and his campaign message of “leading from the middle.”
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The Democratic nominee explicitly broke with former President Joe Biden over immigration.
“The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster,” Hamilton said. “I believe in strong and secure borders.”
Hamilton also said he would not support Schumer for majority leader if Democrats win control of the Senate.
The debate did produce an unusual moment of agreement when both candidates were asked how many genders there are.
“There’s two. There’s a boy and there’s a girl,” Marshall said.
“There are two genders, male and female,” Hamilton responded.
Hamilton later said he did not want biological males competing against his 12-year-old granddaughter in sports, calling it “not a fair fight,” while arguing that decisions over athletic participation should generally be handled locally rather than by the federal government.
The Kansas contest has emerged as an unexpectedly competitive Senate race in the closing weeks of the midterms. Marshall is seeking a second term in a state that has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932, while Hamilton, a longtime pastor, has campaigned as a moderate Democrat.
Trump traveled to Kansas Monday to campaign for Marshall as Republicans work to defend the seat with control of the Senate at stake.