At Salina rally, Trump urges Kansans to back Marshall and Masterson in Tuesday's election
President Donald Trump urged Kansas voters on Sunday night to re-elect U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and elect state Senate President Ty Masterson as governor, using a rally at Salina Regional Airport two days before the Nov. 3 general election to make a final appeal for Republican turnout.
"All I'm asking you to do is one thing, get out and vote," Trump told supporters at Hangar 509, 2734 Arnold Court, on the airport grounds. Salina311 attended the rally.
Trump spoke first, then brought Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach to the stage for brief remarks before returning to the microphone.
The pitch for Tuesday
Trump told the crowd that Republicans tend to struggle in midterm elections when he is not on the ballot and asked supporters to vote as if he were. "We want to have a tremendous victory on Tuesday night," he said, adding that he wanted to watch "Roger and Ty and everybody" have "a big night."
He urged supporters to vote in person on Election Day rather than send in a ballot.
In Kansas, in-person advance voting ends at noon Monday, Nov. 2, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Kansas Secretary of State's Office. Voters in line at 7 p.m. may still vote.
U.S. Senate: Marshall vs. Hamilton
Marshall, a Republican and an obstetrician from Great Bend, is seeking a second term. His Democratic opponent is Adam Hamilton, founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Libertarian David Graham is also on the ballot.
Trump spent much of his speech on the Senate race. He called Hamilton a "woke pastor" and said, "Adam Hamilton wants to raise your taxes while giving welfare and amnesty to illegals."
Trump also repeated an accusation, raised earlier in the campaign, about how Hamilton's church handled reports of child sexual abuse at church youth camp retreats in 2005 and 2006. Court records show the church investigated the 2005 reports internally and did not initially notify law enforcement. After a 2006 incident, church leaders reported both years' incidents to law enforcement and barred the volunteer from working with youths, the records show. A county prosecutor declined to file charges at the time. Hamilton has said he was not involved in the church's investigation, has said he would handle the case differently today and has denied covering up the abuse. His campaign has called the attacks false and defamatory.
Trump also made several claims about Hamilton's past statements on gender, race and religion that Salina311 could not independently verify.
Trump defended Marshall, saying he "delivered more than 5,000 babies." He referred to campaign attacks over Marshall's past medical billing, which have focused on lawsuits his former practice filed against patients over unpaid bills, and said Marshall had been required by federal law to seek money owed. "It's all a hoax," Trump said.
"You gotta vote for Roger Marshall. He's never gonna let you down," Trump said.
Governor: Masterson vs. Holscher
The governor's race is open because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited. Masterson, a Republican from Andover, faces Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park.
Trump called Holscher "radical" and urged voters to defeat her. He said both Holscher and Hamilton have "F" ratings on gun rights, which he said meant they would take away guns, and said Masterson would defend the Second Amendment.
Kobach on stage
Before introducing Kobach, Trump said the attorney general had told him that a "radical left PAC operative" was caught on camera going door to door in Wichita offering gift cards and money to get people to vote. Trump called it "a criminal offense."
Kobach's office announced Saturday, Oct. 31, that it had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bluestem Kansas after a voter reported being offered a $5 gift card by a canvasser who said he worked with the group. The letter orders the group to stop offering incentives tied to voting and to preserve its canvassing records. The attorney general's announcement does not name Wichita or describe the group as a political action committee, and no charges had been announced as of Sunday night. The office asked anyone offered a gift card, cash or other incentive by the group or its canvassers to call 785-296-2215.
Kobach, a Republican, told the crowd he endorsed Trump in 2016, when he was Kansas secretary of state, and recalled telling his wife, Heather, that Trump "is serious. He's actually going to close the border."
He also praised Trump on election security. "He gets that voter fraud is real," Kobach said. "It's real, and we need to do something about it."
Back to Trump
Earlier in his speech, Trump spoke at length about immigration and the border and played a video about border crossings during the Biden administration. When he returned after Kobach's remarks, he turned to national political topics outside Kansas.
The election
Kansas voters on Tuesday will also choose a lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner, all four U.S. House members, all 125 members of the Kansas House and several State Board of Education members.
Salina311 will seek comment from the Hamilton and Holscher campaigns and from Bluestem Kansas and will update this story with any response.
Photo: Salina311
