The Republican senator in charge of keeping the party's Senate majority acknowledged this week that one GOP incumbent is in a tighter race than expected in one of the country's most reliably red states.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Semafor that Kansas has become "more competitive than I'd like to see it," although he still predicted that Sen. Roger Marshall would beat Democrat Adam Hamilton on Nov. 3.
"The fact of the matter is that we're going to win in Kansas," Scott said. "It'll be closer than I want it to be."
A Democratic win would break a long losing streak for the party in the state. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932 and has not backed a Democratic presidential nominee since 1964.
A Wedgewood poll released last week showed Hamilton with 50 percent support to Marshall's 48 percent, a margin that suggests a close race. The Cook Political Report recently moved the contest from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican."
Democrats see Kansas as one of several red states they can contest this year. They point to Trump's low approval ratings and to voter frustration over rising fuel prices tied to the war in Iran. Picking up the seat would boost the party's chances of retaking the Senate.
Marshall has appeared to adjust his tone on immigration enforcement. After federal agents carried out operations in Kansas in September, including at meatpacking plants, the senator called for closer cooperation with local authorities.
"When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement," Marshall wrote on X.
He has also faced scrutiny over reports that he sued more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills during his career as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Semafor he welcomes Trump campaigning in competitive states.
"When Trump travels, he hurts people," Schumer said. "When he comes to town, that itself helps us."
