Hamilton Raises $10.6 Million for Kansas Senate Bid

Trump Plans Wichita Rally as Brownback Backs Marshall

Schmidt Foundation Pledges $1 Million to Match Sternberg Gifts

Overland Park Limits License Plate Data to 30 Days

Storms Knock Out Power, Flood Wichita Streets

Hamilton Raises $10.6 Million for Kansas Senate Bid

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton raised $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to a Politico report excerpted by Political Wire on Oct. 13. That total includes his U.S. Senate campaign and joint fundraising committees. Federal Election Commission filings show Republican Sen. Roger Marshall's campaign received $768,816 in the first quarter and $611,448 in the second, totaling about $1.38 million through June 30. Hamilton's first filing reported $3.68 million in receipts, including a $50,000 candidate loan, for Feb. 26 through June 30; it includes exploratory activity and does not provide separate first- and second-quarter totals. Those earlier figures cover the candidates' principal campaign committees, while the third-quarter announcement also counts joint fundraising committees. Politico described Hamilton's fundraising as a sign of growing Democratic confidence in winning a Kansas Senate seat for the first time since 1932.

Politico · Political Wire · FEC

Trump Plans Wichita Rally as Brownback Backs Marshall

WICHITA, Kan. — President Donald Trump will rally for Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall in Wichita on Oct. 19, the Republican National Committee announced Oct. 13, a day after Trump promised a Kansas stop. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., the program starts at 4:30 p.m. and Trump is expected at 6 p.m.; the venue remained unannounced, and the Kansas Republican Party sought 100 volunteers for his first Wichita visit in about a decade. Former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback endorsed Marshall on X the same day, portraying Democratic nominee and Overland Park pastor Adam Hamilton as a liberal who would help make Chuck Schumer majority leader. Hamilton, who has said he would oppose Schumer as Democratic leader, responded through a spokesperson who called Brownback among Kansas' least popular politicians and criticized tax cuts enacted during his 2011-2018 governorship and largely repealed in 2017. Marshall's campaign did not directly address Brownback's endorsement, the Kansas Reflector reported. The rally and endorsement bring Republican support to a race the Cook Political Report rates a toss-up ahead of the Nov. 3 election, with Kansas having last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1932.

KCUR · Kansas Reflector

Schmidt Foundation Pledges $1 Million to Match Sternberg Gifts

HAYS, Kan. — The Bob and Pat Schmidt Foundation announced Oct. 13 that it will match donations dollar for dollar up to $1 million to the Fort Hays State University Foundation's Save Sternberg campaign. Schmidt Foundation President Gary Shorman said the match covers gifts from individuals and companies, including contributions already received, but excludes gifts from other foundations. Supporters had raised more than $237,000 toward the $1 million in private gifts university President Tisa Mason asked the FHSU Foundation to secure by Dec. 31. Without additional funding, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History is scheduled to close to the public Dec. 18 as the university absorbs a $2.4 million recurring reduction in state funding. The museum houses fossils from the ancient inland sea that covered western Kansas, including its well-known “fish-within-a-fish” specimen. Shorman described the matching pledge as temporary funding to help sustain the museum while a long-term operating plan is developed.

FHSU Foundation · Hays Post · KWCH

Overland Park Limits License Plate Data to 30 Days

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Police have shortened retention of automated license plate reader data from one year to 30 days, limiting how long they keep records of passing vehicles under a policy that took effect late last week, KCUR reported Oct. 13. Officers cannot conduct open-ended searches without a plate number tied to a case, and sharing data requires an advance agreement or a written request identifying the case number and purpose. The department requires monthly audits, refers suspected misuse to the district attorney and prohibits pairing the data with artificial intelligence facial recognition or using it to enforce tax or immigration laws. Kansas' second-largest city operates 37 fixed readers and 110 vehicle-mounted cameras, and officers retain access to privately owned Flock Safety cameras within city limits. The ACLU of Kansas, which the department consulted, called the changes a “significant step forward” while continuing to seek an end to the technology's use. Both Kansas attorney general candidates backed limits during their Oct. 6 debate as department policies largely govern retention in Kansas; Missouri issued statewide guidance Sept. 30.

KCUR · Kansas Reflector · KCTV5

Storms Knock Out Power, Flood Wichita Streets

WICHITA, Kan. — Severe storms along a cold front Oct. 13 flooded Wichita streets and left more than 50,000 Evergy customers without power in the Kansas City metro around 10:30 p.m., according to KCUR; KCTV5's overnight tally rose from about 20,000 at 7:41 p.m. to 50,860 at 10:38 p.m. National Weather Service warnings included Johnson and Wyandotte counties with potential 80 mph winds, a Clay County, Missouri, tornado warning expired at 8 p.m., and the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities reported several hundred outages. At least one vehicle stalled in high water at Pawnee and Oliver in Wichita, while a flood warning for southern Harper and Sumner counties ran through 6:30 a.m. Oct. 14 after 1 to 2 inches of rain, with another 2 to 3 inches possible. Flood watches covered the Kansas City area and Lawrence into Oct. 14, and KWCH forecast 2 to 4 inches across much of south-central Kansas by Thursday afternoon, followed by cooler weather. The rain raised flash-flood risks and could further delay fieldwork despite replenishing soil moisture, with Kansas winter wheat planting at 44%, behind the five-year average of 56%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Oct. 13 report.

KCUR · KCTV5 · KWCH · Lawrence Times · USDA · Ad Astra Radio · NWS

Sources

1. Politico / Political Wire / FEC: Hamilton July quarterly report, amended Oct. 12 / FEC: Marshall April quarterly report / FEC: Marshall July quarterly report
2. KCUR / Kansas Reflector / Kansas Reflector via KMAN
3. FHSU Foundation / Hays Post / KWCH
4. KCUR / Kansas Reflector / KCTV5
5. KCUR / KCTV5 / KWCH flooding report / KWCH forecast / Lawrence Times / USDA report via Ad Astra Radio / National Weather Service warning via Iowa Environmental Mesonet

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