Kansas Faces Challenge to 94-Year Democratic Senate Drought

Kansas could see a historic shift in its US Senate representation as Democratic candidate Rev. Adam Hamilton challenges Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall in November. According to CNN, polling indicates a competitive race in a state where Democrats have not won a Senate election since 1932, a 94-year streak that stands out in American political history.

Since Kansas became a state in 1861, only three Democrats have represented it in the Senate, according to CNN. A victory by Hamilton would end the party's decades-long absence from the state's elected Senate delegation.

The Kansas race comes amid a broader decline in states sending one Republican and one Democratic senator to Washington. A 2021 analysis by Pew Research Center found that split Senate delegations had historically been much more common, with at least 10 states generally maintaining them and often more than 20 since nationwide Senate elections began in 1914.

Currently, only four states have senators from different parties: Vermont, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Maine. According to CNN, Maine's Republican Sen. Susan Collins is among the most vulnerable incumbents, while the other three states have no Senate race this year.

Collins faces a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson. If she loses, Maine could join the growing number of states whose Senate representation aligns with their presidential voting patterns. Independent Sen. Angus King, Maine's other senator, generally sides with Democrats on procedural matters.

Kansas is not the only state with a long-running partisan pattern. Hawaii has not elected a Republican senator since Hiram Fong won in 1970. Wyoming and Utah have not elected Democrats to the Senate since 1970, according to CNN.

East of the Mississippi River, New Jersey has the longest Republican Senate drought. No Republican has won a Senate election there since Clifford Case was elected in 1972. Republican Jeffrey Chiesa briefly served in 2013 after being appointed by then-Gov. Chris Christie.

Statewide voting patterns do not always match Senate representation. Kansas has a Democratic governor despite its lengthy Republican Senate record, while New Hampshire has two Democratic senators and a Republican governor, Kelly Ayotte, who was elected to the Senate in 2010 before later becoming governor.

Former Sen. John Sununu is seeking to return to the Senate in New Hampshire this year. During his previous Senate service, both of the state's Senate seats were held by Republicans, according to CNN.

Other states could also see changes to longstanding party patterns. Texas last elected a Democratic senator in 1988, when Lloyd Bentsen won before resigning to join President Bill Clinton's Cabinet. That same year, California last elected a Republican senator.

North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana were each represented by two Democratic senators within the past 25 years, but all three now have two Republican senators. CNN reported that independent candidates, rather than Democrats, are mounting the strongest challenges to Republicans in Montana and South Dakota this year.

In Nebraska, independent candidate Dan Osborn is challenging Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. The state last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2006, according to CNN. Osborn's campaign illustrates how independent candidates can challenge established party representation, although his prospects do not guarantee a Senate victory.

Party switching has also altered Senate alignments. Vermont last elected a Republican senator in 2000, when Jim Jeffords later switched parties after disagreements with Republicans. In Pennsylvania, Republican Sen.

Arlen Specter switched to the Democratic Party in 2009, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has faced speculation about a possible party change but has insisted he will remain a Democrat, CNN reported.