Pastor of United Methodist Mega-Church Announces Senate Run as Democrat

Hamilton, chief pastor of La Resurrección, a united Methodist church in Leawood, Kansas, announced in February that he was considering a Senate candidacy against Republican Senator Roger Marshall as an independent. After a listening tour across 18 cities in Kansas, where he met with groups of 20 to 100 people, Hamilton decided to run as a Democrat. “In all 18 places, the first question they asked me was why I didn’t run for Democrat,” he said.

Research indicated that running as an independent would limit his chances of victory. Hamilton emphasized that both political parties have flaws and strengths, and his team reflects this balance. “We have Republicans on our team. We have Democrats on our team. We are committed to doing what we have done during 36 years: working together to accomplish things and love each other,” he said.

Hamilton, who founded La Resurrección in 1990, believes his experience as a pastor in The United Methodist Church has prepared him for a Senate role. “Sometimes I have thought: ‘What if I took all the skills I have in the ministry and put them at the service of people in a different way?’ I think I can really do something to benefit people,” he reflected.

During his listening tour, Hamilton engaged with farmers, ranchers, small business owners, teachers, and others, hearing concerns about tariffs, rural healthcare access, rising costs of medical care, agricultural equipment, and labor expenses. “People said: ‘We don’t feel that our senator is listening.’ As long as I meet people, I thought: ‘I care about these people. I can really be their advocate. I can fight for them,’” he shared.

Hamilton’s candidacy has drawn attention from Kansas Republicans, who filed a complaint with the Federal Electoral Commission. The complaint alleges that he used the “corporate resources of the church” to support his potential campaign, including in-kind contributions from the church and the use of church teams and personnel to create campaign materials.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)