The candidates in Kansas' surprisingly competitive
faced off in a debate Wednesday evening, as Republicans fight to head off the possibility of their first loss in a Kansas Senate contest in nearly a century.
asserted
Republicans → face → century
Incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Marshall hammered away at what it would mean if he were to lose — that it could help hand control of the
to Democrats:
uncertain
it → hammer → Democrats
"My opponent's going to say anything he can to lie to get into that office and give control to Chuck Schumer.
asserted
he → go → Schumer
"Marshall's Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, tried to convince voters that he's not too progressive for Kansans and went on the offensive against Marshall over the impact of tariffs, the Iran war and other Trump administration policies on the state.
asserted
he → try → state
Marshall hewed closely to many of President Trump's views, and like him, blamed rising diesel costs on the war in
, rather than the"The real problem with the
in particular, is No. 1, is the Ukraine war, and because of that, diesel production has gone down," Marshall said.
asserted
Marshall → hew → that
But at the same time, he said of Mr. Trump's recent announcement that the U.S. would , "it doesn't sound like a great idea to me."
asserted
it → say → me
He added, "If this brings Russia to the bargaining table and it ends the war, then I'm all for it right now.
asserted
I → add → it
"While Marshall implored Trump voters to come out and vote for him
asserted
Marshall → implore → him
, he said he does not always align with the president and has "objected" to him multiple times before, specifically citing the ICE raids in Kansas and Mr. Trump's short-term waiver on beef imports, both of which have hurt Kansas farmers.
asserted
both → say → farmers
Hamilton described himself as a "moderate or independent-minded Democrat" and vowed to "work across the aisle to try to bring people together to solve problems."
asserted
Hamilton → describe → problems
Hamilton largely sought to distance himself from mainstream Democrats.
asserted
Hamilton → seek → Democrats
He promised not to vote for Schumer to be majority leader if Democrats win the Senate, called the Biden administration's border policies a "disaster" and said during a discussion on transgender participation in sports: "I have a 12-year-old granddaughter.
asserted
I → promise → granddaughter
I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her."
uncertain
that → want → her
Marshall argued Hamilton leans further to the left than he has let on.
asserted
he → argue → left
The Republican senator also questioned how independent Hamilton would be.
asserted
Hamilton → question → ?
"He's going to say he's going to vote against these things, but every Democrat stands up, and when Schumer tells them to jump, they say, 'how high?'" Marshall said during the sports discussion.
asserted
Marshall → go → discussion
"So why is he going to be any different once he gets to Washington?
asserted
he → go → Washington
He can tell us one thing, but let's see what his actions would be like."
asserted
actions → tell → what
Hamilton said he would try to "force" Mr. Trump to end the Iran war.
asserted
he → say → war
and tariffs are putting many farms in the state in dire economic straits, with many voters telling CBS News that they aren't sure if they will survive past next year if conditions continue.
asserted
conditions → put → year
"It was not a good decision to go to war in Iran, and we need to get out," said Hamilton.
asserted
Hamilton → go → Iran
Marshall said he "want[s] this war to be over … as soon as possible, but we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
asserted
Iran → say → weapon
He described Hamilton's views as "war through weakness, as opposed to peace through strength."
asserted
He → describe → strength
Hamilton slammed Mr. Trump's tariffs, arguing they have led to chaos and uncertainty.
asserted
they → slam → chaos
Marshall said the president's tariffs have led to a "manufacturing renaissance."
asserted
tariffs → say → renaissance
Mr. Trump's immigration policies have also drawn scrutiny in Kansas, including a string of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that agricultural leaders warned could cause workforce disruptions.
uncertain
leaders → draw → disruptions
Marshall pushed back last month, saying in a post on social media that ICE "needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement."
asserted
ICE → push → enforcement
During Wednesday's debate, Hamilton called ICE's practices "militarized" and "politicized."
asserted
Hamilton → call → practices
Marshall said "all this discussion starts with a secure border," arguing Democrats could loosen border enforcement.
uncertain
Democrats → say → enforcement
Polling suggests a tight race, and millions of dollars have gushed into Kansas, flooding the state's airwaves with anti-Marshall and anti-Hamilton ads.
uncertain
millions → suggest → ads
The debate's moderator wasted no time in asking both candidates about their biggest controversies.
asserted
moderator → waste → controversies
For Marshall, that's the New York Times report about how the OB/GYN aggressively pursued his former patients — many of whom struggled economically — for medical debts and in some cases had them arrested.
asserted
them → pursue → cases
Hamilton faced questions regarding his church's response to an incident of child sex abuse at a youth summer camp in 2005.
asserted
Hamilton → face → 2005
Marshall said "we did everything possible to take good care of people" and that many of his patients got free care.
asserted
many → say → care
He conceded that some patients were turned over to collections agencies, which he called a fairly rare occurrence that is standard in the medical industry.
asserted
that → concede → industry
At his rally in Wichita on Monday, Mr. Trump defended Marshall against these allegations, saying he was required by law to report the debt, and that he's been unfairly "made out to be some kind of Shylock character."
asserted
he → defend → character
(The Anti-Defamation League later said the term "Shylock," a reference to a Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," is "rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype."
asserted
term → say → stereotype
On the abuse scandal, Hamilton said his church subsequently changed its policy on handling allegations of abuse, and "ultimately, we helped get this man put behind bars."
asserted
man → say → bars
Still, Hamilton admitted, "I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back (to the youth camp).
asserted
he → admit → camp
Cathy Bien, a spokesperson for Hamilton's United Methodist Church, told CBS News on Wednesday that the incident was "handled the best way [they] knew how 20 years ago."
asserted
they → tell → Wednesday
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
