The last time a Kansas Democrat was in the Senate, the Wizard of Oz was in cinemas

As the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Hamilton told voters his faith is what inspires his belief that the government should help care for the poor and vulnerable.

But some took issue with his positions; Richard Friedeman, a lawyer and Republican Party chair of Kansas' Barton County, accused the pastor of being "very, very liberal - and he has the ability that liberal pastors have of telling you one thing and turning right around and telling somebody else the opposite".

Friedeman was cautiously optimistic on Election Day as he discussed the race from his Great Bend home, saying he believed Marshall, a personal friend and "good Republican voter," had "done a good job" during his time in office.