Adam Hamilton

Hamilton was born on July 12, 1964, and raised in Prairie Village, Kansas, and says he is a fifth-generation Kansan whose ancestors settled in Dickinson County.[1][6][7] His campaign says he grew up in Prairie Village and married his high school sweetheart, LaVon, the week after graduation; they have two daughters and a granddaughter.[6] He graduated from Blue Valley High School in 1982.[7] He received a B.A. in pastoral ministry from Oral Roberts University in 1985 and a master of divinity from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.[1][7][8]

In 1990, at age 25, Hamilton and LaVon started a church in the Kansas City area with four people in a borrowed space, and he has served as its pastor for 36 years.[1][6] The congregation, the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is now the largest United Methodist church in the country.[1][8] Hamilton has written more than 30 books about Christian faith and contemporary issues.[7][8] He says the congregation is the largest source of donated food in Kansas City after the regional food bank and the area's largest sponsor of blood drives, and that it funds a mobile dental clinic and invests in low-income elementary schools.[1][6] KCUR reports that he served on President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.[2]

Hamilton launched his Senate campaign in April 2026 after a listening tour of the state, and KCTV5 reported that he raised $3.66 million in his first two months.[6][9] He won the Democratic nomination in the August 4, 2026 primary, defeating ten other candidates including Christy Davis (14.1%) and Noah Taylor (13.4%).[1][9] KCUR reports that he lives in Stillwell, Kansas.[2] During the campaign, he emphasized affordability, health care and ending corruption in Washington.[1] He won the November 3, 2026 general election with 51% of the vote to Roger Marshall's 46%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]