Could Kansas flip blue in the 2026 Senate election?

You're watching Fox 9 Morning News at 7 a.m. Welcome back. It is 7.45 right now. The Kansas Senate race has quickly become one of the top races to watch this midterm, as Kansas could elect their first Democratic senator in nearly a century. Well, last night, the GOP Senator Roger Marshall faced off against the Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in a critical debate. The candidates making their final pitches to voters before Election Day. Fox's Amalia Roy joins us live. She's in Wichita, Kansas right now, breaking down what the top issues of the night were. Good morning, Amalia. Good morning, Tom, Kelly. Across the board, when I talk to Kansans, they say they're just shocked that their state is on this national stage for a race that's typically pretty predictable. But last night, the moderator, he got right into it, asking both candidates about scandals from each of them that have come out in political ads against each other. For Senator Marshall, it was about a recent New York Times report about this medical practice suing more than 700 patients over unpaid bills and 18% annual interest. What responsibility do you personally take for how those debts were collected? You have 60 seconds. These were blatant lies. Look, I went to Great Bend, Kansas because I wanted to take care of patients. It was a mission field. One out of five patients we took care of received free care. And then talking about Adam Hamilton, it was about allegations that happened at a church summer camp and the investigation of whether he was involved in the conduct investigation of a church volunteer accused of inappropriate relationships with teenage boys. This man going back to camp in 2006, 32nd. That's a great question. So first of all, others investigated. I was actually preaching that weekend at Church of the Resurrection And I did not sign off on him going back. I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back. That was a mistake on my part, but- Other big topics for the night included the economy, war with Iran, Russia, healthcare, and the food stamp program known as SNAP. There was also a question about whether either candidate would be able to be a senator for all Kansans with Marshall as a strong Trump ally and Hamilton campaigning as a moderate, despite seeming to hold progressive beliefs. Not somebody who favors the Socialist Party. I'm somebody who stands in the middle. I'm gonna try to work for all Kansans, Republicans, Independents and Democrats. And I got a lot of Trump supporters who are supporting me as well, which has been very exciting. Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right and President Trump is not always right. But I do think that it's great that I have a relationship that I can pick up the phone and discuss with him the pros and cons of what he's contemplating. Both candidates right now, they are neck and neck in this race, polling at 45% each. Now, if Hamilton were to win, it would be the first time that Kansas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. In Wichita, Kansas, Amalia Roy, Fox 9. All right, Amalia, thanks for the report. Appreciate it. Definitely one to watch, for sure. All right, let's get talking about a really nice situation here. Oh, we'll get to weather in just a moment, but I want to talk about early voting. We're seeing a big boost in early voting numbers across the country. According to the Associated Press, many states are seeing record number of early voters. In Texas, early voting is up 74 percent, 74 percent compared to 2022. Maine, North Carolina, Ohio have also seen increases of more than 30 percent. In Alaska, voters braved the snow to line up at polling places for a chance to vote in a battleground race that could decide control of the Senate. We've seen it here in Minnesota. Steve Simon said we're up about 17% for early voting.