Marshall defends Trump record, Hamilton admits Biden border failure in Kansas Senate debate

Clear Facts

• Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton faced off in a Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night less than two weeks before Election Day.
• Both candidates agreed there are only two genders when asked directly during the debate.
• Hamilton called Biden’s border policies a disaster and pledged not to support Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats win the Senate.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton clashed over immigration, transgender sports, and presidential leadership during a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night. The hour-long exchange highlighted sharp differences between the candidates as they compete for a seat that could help determine Senate control.

Marshall defended his record as a physician while addressing a New York Times report about his former practice suing patients over unpaid bills. “Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business,” Marshall responded. “We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric.”

“I should have checked to make sure that he wasn’t going back,” Hamilton said. “That was a mistake on my part.”

President Trump became a central topic when moderators played footage from his recent campaign appearance for Marshall in Kansas. Marshall acknowledged disagreeing with Trump on certain issues while still urging Trump supporters to turn out for his reelection bid. “Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her,” Marshall said. “My wife is always right. And President Trump is not always right.”

“There’s two. There’s a boy and there’s a girl,” Marshall said. “I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls.”

“There are two genders, male and female,” Hamilton responded.

Both candidates took firm positions against biological males competing in women’s sports. Hamilton cited his granddaughter’s participation in athletics as reason for his stance. “I have a 12-year-old granddaughter,” Hamilton said. “I don’t want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her. It’s not a fair, fair fight.”

Marshall called for keeping boys in boys’ sports and girls in girls’ sports by high school, accusing national Democrats of pushing transgender ideology. Hamilton accused Marshall of using the issue to bully people, but the Democrat stopped short of defending biological males in female competition.

“The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster,” Hamilton responded. “I believe in strong and secure borders.”

“I’m not somebody who favors the Socialist Party,” Hamilton added. “I’m somebody who stands in the middle.”

Hamilton sought to distance himself from the Biden administration’s record while defending his own record of donations to Democratic candidates. He also pledged not to support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats gain control of the chamber.

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