Meet the Candidates for the United States Senate from Kansas

Kansas Public Radio invited all the candidates running for U.S. Senate this year to record an audio message for potential voters. Six out of the 13 candidates responded back with their pitch to voters on why Kansans should send them to Washington D.C.

We asked candidates to provide a brief recorded message including a biography, where they’re from, and why they deserve your vote. Each was given the same parameters and a maximum audio message length of two minutes; each appears below as it was submitted to us. If one entry is longer than another, it is because the candidate chose not to use the maximum time available.

Democratic Candidates

Damon Anderson

Christy Davis

Adam Hamilton

Bio: Hamilton leads The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, the largest Methodist congregation in the U.S. After considering a run as an independent candidate Hamilton decided to run as a Democrat.

Senate Policies: Affordability continues to be the focal point of Hamilton’s campaign. He’s specifically discussed healthcare being a human right. Hamilton also called for a ban on congressional stock trading and term limits for members of Congress.

Website: hamiltonforkansas.com

Jason Hart

Bio: Hart has worked as an attorney and prosecutor throughout Kansas and at the federal level for more than four decades. He quit his position in the federal government as an assistant U.S. attorney to run for office. Hart switched his party affiliation to become a Democrat earlier this year.

Senate Policies: Hart has attacked the Trump administration’s war on Iran, the U.S. tariff policy and the shooting of Alex Pretti as things that — as a former Republican — drove him away from being a member of the GOP. On the healthcare front Hart plans to expand Medicaid and Medicare if elected and separate health insurance from employment.

Website: hartforsenate.com

Kevin Latz

Bio: Latz is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with no experience in politics.

Senate Policies: On Latz’s website he described a need for tax policy reform that rewards labor not ownership. The surgeon also wants to better regulate social media companies including putting restrictions on use for people under the age of 17.

Website: latz4kansas.org

Erik Murray

Bio: Murray is a political newcomer. The Kansas City, Kansas, resident has never run for public office and works in commercial real estate.

Senate Policies: Murray has 13 policy commitments listed on his website. Those include universal healthcare, stricter antitrust law enforcement and lobbying reform.

Website: erikforkansas.com

Sandy Spidel Neumann

Anne Parelkar

Bio: Parelkar is attempting to call her shot. The immigration lawyer attended a Western Kansas town hall held by U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and she told him she’d be taking his job. She has to get past a crowded primary field to get that chance.

Senate Policies: Parelkar has run a populist campaign thus far with a focus on keeping corporations from purchasing Kansas farmland. She also wants to ban planned obsolescence — the business strategy for companies to design products that intentionally fail prematurely.

Website: anneforkansas.com

Patrick Schmidt

Michael Soetaert

Noah Taylor

Bio: Taylor served in the U.S. Army for three years in the infantry. He also worked as an Army Reserve counterintelligence analyst.

Senate Policies: The veteran has run a Graham Platner-esque campaign, but without the political baggage of the Maine oyster farmer. Taylor’s three campaign pillars focus on affordability, ending forever wars and cleaning up corruption.

Website: noahforkansas.com

Republican Candidates

Roger Marshall

Pond Naramore

Meet the candidates running for Kansas Governor.