United Methodist megachurch pastor and author Adam Hamilton has launched his first television advertisement in his campaign for a Kansas seat in the United States Senate.
Hamilton, who serves as lead pastor of Resurrection Church in Leawood, Kansas, is one of several candidates competing for the Democratic nomination.
“America is more than a place,” he says. “It's an idea that all are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Those rights exist not just for the wealthy few but for all.”
“Our leaders seem to have forgotten that and instead created a democracy that's for sale to the highest bidder. While Kansans can't afford gas, groceries, or health care, that's just not who we are.”
Hamilton says in the ad that he entered the Senate race because he believes it is “time that Congress is reminded that they work for us.”
“I approve this message because we have to do better,” he concludes, before a female narrator says, “Adam Hamilton for Senate. It's time for something different.”
Hamilton, 61, announced in February that he had formed an exploratory committee and launched a listening tour as he considered a possible Senate run as an independent candidate. A theological progressive, he has long supported changing the United Methodist Church’s former opposition to same-sex marriage.
“Our society is growing more polarized; concern for our fellow Americans, kindness and reasoned dialogue are endangered,” he stated at the time. “The American experiment feels fragile. Families and communities are divided. We are better together and we need leaders who will work to unite us rather than seeking to divide.”
At an April press conference at Harmon Park in Prairie Village, Hamilton formally declared that he would run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, calling himself an “independent-minded Democrat” who is “dedicated to leading from the center.”
The Kansas Democratic primary is set for Aug. 4, with the winner advancing to face Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall.
