PARK CITY, Kan. — President Donald Trump on Monday urged Kansas voters to reelect U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall in a wide-ranging speech that largely attacked Democrats and faced opposition from several protesters.

Trump appeared at a rally supporting Marshall at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, a suburb of Wichita, as Republicans look to rally voters around the incumbent senator.

Protesters interrupted the speech on five occasions as Trump criticized a slew of Democratic candidates on the ballot this year, but the Trump-friendly crowd shouted over the protests.

“The choice in this election is clear. You can vote for the radical left, dumocrat, communists,” Trump said. “Or you can defeat the dumocrat communists.”

Throughout the hourlong speech, Trump attempted to tie Marshall’s Democratic opponent, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, to a slew of high-profile Democrats such as former President Barack Obama. The president also sought to shore up Republican support for Marshall, casting him as a great senator.

“On Nov. 3, you need to send a very strange Adam Hamilton back home and reelect one of the greatest senators in our country,” Trump told the crowd.

The rally marked the president’s first trip to Kansas this cycle as Republicans try to mobilize conservative voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election. For Marshall, the visit came at a crucial time.

The race he was supposed to win easily is now neck-and-neck, according to recent polling. National TV cameras, big donors and the president himself are descending on Kansas as Republicans seek to stave off a Democratic challenge from Hamilton.

A Democrat has not won a Senate seat in Kansas in 94 years. Hamilton is attempting to become just the fourth Democratic senator in the state’s history.

Marshall’s reelection campaign has faced headwinds in recent weeks amid scrutiny over a host of issues, including his medical debt collection practices as a physician, outstanding questions about his residency in Kansas and the complicated relationship between his office and campaign staff.

Trump defended Marshall amid questions about the senator’s medical debt practices, attacking Hamilton’s campaign for running ads about the controversy.

“That man did nothing wrong,” Trump said.

Location of rally strategic

The location of the rally, a 6,500-seat arena in Sedgwick County, laid bare the goal of Trump’s visit: turn out Republican voters.

Trump won the area handily in 2020 and 2024 and the arena placed the president hours away from the state’s blue-leaning hubs in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

Before the rally began, Marshall said in an interview that Trump supporters were vital to his reelection campaign.

“We don’t win this race unless President Trump’s voters get out and vote. That’s how close it is,” he said. “He’s got to present his case that he’s on the ticket.”

As swarms of Trump supporters waited in long security lines, a chorus of top Kansas Republicans rallied the crowd. Attorney General Kris Kobach walked out to “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley while U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt spoke after “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys echoed through the arena.

Ted Nugent, the Trump-touting rock star, and Sen. Eric Schmitt from Missouri also made appearances. One by one, each speaker emphasized the objective of the rally.

“You must get out and vote and you must bring 10 of your friends,” said Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republican nominee for governor. “Because the stakes are that high, they really are.”

Trump supporters rally for Marshall

Republican supporters came from across the state for a chance to see Trump. Tyler Tuttle traveled from Grainfield, a small city in western Kansas. He acknowledged that the race for Senate was “a lot tighter,” than expected.

He attributed the close race to concerns about fuel prices, among other issues. Still, he said he wanted to come support Trump and Marshall.

“Gotta keep voting red,” he said.

Wendy Childers came from the Topeka area. Childers, who said she’s voted for Trump three times, wore a homemade “Trump Girl” hoodie.

“Not to be rude,” she said. “But I’ll never vote for a Democrat because they don’t have the same values as me. And Roger Marshall does.”

When asked what values she was referring to, Childers mentioned abortion, illegal immigration and transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Marshall, for his part, confirmed that holding the rally near Wichita was strategic.

“These are my friends. These are people I went to high school and college with, the parents of my buddies,” he said when asked about the location of the event. “These are folks that drive the truck, that drive the fishing boat and, really, they want just Washington, D.C., out of their way. They want to make America great again.”

Amid the red hats, rock songs and energetic crowd, however, the president’s trip also illustrated that the Senate race in Kansas was uncomfortably close for Republicans. Voter distaste over the economy, war with Iran and Trump’s poor polling numbers have forced Republicans to campaign in states like Kansas, a state the president won three times.

While the crowd was overwhelmingly supportive of Trump, the president’s speech faced several interruptions from protesters who yelled out in opposition to the rally. Trump, in response, alleged that they had been paid to be there.

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