JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Adam Hamilton is the first democrat to flip the U.S. Senate seat in Kansas blue in nearly a century. He was declared the winner against Republican incumbent Roger Marshall around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Kansas took the national spotlight on Election Day because the last time a Democratic senator gave a victory speech was in 1932, when alcohol was illegal and antibiotics didn't exist yet.
"This is amazing," Hamilton said during his victory speech. "We really did make history."
"I think it shows the independence that Kansas is known for," said Johnson County resident Greg Musil. "I think they're asking for a senator to be independent and accountable."
Though Hamilton took the Democratic ticket, his message of meeting voters in the middle is what drove much of his support in Johnson County, where voters make up nearly a fourth of the state's cast ballots.
"I'm a Republican, and I voted for Adam Hamilton because I felt like he's going to make a difference," Johnson County resident Janet Fournier said. "It’s been hard to say what party you’re on because it’s been so divisive. I really hope this changes it."
When KSHB 41 News reporter Isabella Ledonne spoke with Hamilton after his victory speech Tuesday night, he stated his first acts in Washington will be to vote to end the war in Iran, pull back on tariff policies, and restore expired healthcare subsidies.
"Then the rest of the tax credits that were taken away, we're going to restore those," Hamilton said. "That's a temporary measure because we have to have serious, long-term healthcare reform."
Kansas was a key race for democrats to flip the U.S. Senate blue. But it wasn't the only surprising switch on Tuesday night, with Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, and Ohio also electing Democratic officials.
"You took a moderate approach to your campaign, but we saw a blue wave [Tuesday night]," Ledonne asked Hamilton. "How are you going to balance that when you get to the Senate?"
"First of all, I'm always going to be asking this question: What's good for the people of Kansas? That is my number one imperative," Hamilton responded. "They hired me, so I'm going to ask: Is this good for Kansas? If it is, I'm all in. If it's bad, I'm out."
As for his supporters, soon-to-be constituents, they plan to hold Hamilton to high standards on the national level.
"I expect him to do the same thing that I've watched him do in the Church of the Resurrection for the last 20 years, and that's bring people together, unite them around common goals and actually get something done," Musil said.
You can see more coverage from Election Night here.
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