President continues campaign blitz

Nate Foy reports from Park City, Kansas, where President Donald Trump is supporting Sen. Roger Marshall in a pivotal effort to help Republicans maintain control.

During a heated Kansas Senate debate on Wednesday night, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., faced off against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton on various contentious issues including President Trump, immigration, Iran, transgender athletes, artificial intelligence, and personal controversies.

This hour-long debate took place less than two weeks before the Election Day, with Marshall vying for a second term and Hamilton, a pastor, aiming to become the first Democrat in Kansas to secure a U.S. Senate seat since 1932.

The race has garnered significant national interest, with both parties battling for Senate control. Notably, Trump campaigned in Kansas earlier this week for Marshall, a topic highlighted during the debate.

Here are five notable moments from the debate.

Debate opens with candidates confronted over personal controversies

The debate quickly turned contentious, beginning with inquiries about personal controversies impacting both candidates. Marshall faced questions regarding a New York Times report indicating his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients for unpaid bills. In response, he noted, “Every year, we gave away $3 to $4 million in charity, but we also had a business. We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric.”

Hamilton was also scrutinized for his handling of allegations related to a volunteer at his church’s summer camp accused of sexual abuse. He admitted that he should have ensured the person didn’t return after an initial investigation, saying, “I should have checked to make sure that he wasn’t going back. That was a mistake on my part.”

Marshall says ‘President Trump is not always right’

Trump entered the discussion after moderators played clips from his campaign event for Marshall. In those clips, Trump asked, “And at this election, I’m asking you to pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just pretend.”

Marshall was then asked if Trump’s backing signaled he would fully support the president’s agenda. “No,” he said, admitting there have been “multiple times” he disagreed with Trump. When pressed for specifics, he cited issues like recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump’s stance on beef imports.

Marshall joked, “Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right,” adding, “And President Trump is not always right.” However, he urged Trump supporters to come out for him, warning that electing Hamilton could lead to Democratic control of the Senate.

Both candidates say there are ‘two genders’

The rivals surprisingly agreed when asked how many genders exist. Marshall declared, “There’s two. There’s a boy and there’s a girl. I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls.” Hamilton echoed, “There are two genders, male and female.”

They then shifted focus to transgender participation in women’s sports. Hamilton stated that decisions about athletic eligibility should generally be local but firmly rejected the idea of biological males competing against biological females, stressing his concern for his granddaughter’s safety. “I don’t want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her. It’s not a fair fight,” he asserted.

Marshall supported the notion that by high school, “boys need to be in boys sports, girls in girls sports,” while accusing national Democrats of promoting “transgender ideology.” Hamilton later accused Marshall of using the topic to “pick on” and “bully” people.

Hamilton calls AI an ‘existential threat’

Hamilton urged for more federal oversight of artificial intelligence, likening it to the development of nuclear power and weapons. “We developed a Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We need to do the same thing with AI,” he stated. Yet, when asked about specific regulations he would support, he admitted, “I’m not sure, to be honest,” acknowledging that even experts struggle to grasp the technology’s risks.

Marshall proposed a more cautious approach focused on national security, transparency, and child protection, while criticizing a uniform global strategy for AI development. Hamilton pushed back fervently, insisting, “This is an existential — potential existential threat to the human race. We can’t just go with a light touch and hope everybody does their best.”

Hamilton calls Biden’s border policies a ‘disaster’

When moderators pressed Hamilton about his past donations to prominent Democrats, including Biden, he attempted to distance himself by describing Biden’s border policies as a “disaster.” He emphasized, “I believe in strong and secure borders,” and maintained that he does not align with the Socialist Party, declaring, “I’m somebody who stands in the middle.”

Hamilton reiterated that he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats regain control.