Adam Hamilton: Knock Holes in the Darkness

Episode of The Bulwark Daily · November 5, 2026 · 1 h 9 min

Tim Miller talks with Kansas Senator-elect Adam Hamilton about faith, immigration, and bridging divides, then with Rob Flaherty about why Democrats won the 2026 midterms.

Summary

In the first segment, Tim Miller welcomed back Adam Hamilton, the Methodist pastor who won the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Kansas against Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected senator from the state in 94 years. Hamilton said he was not recruited by national Democrats but felt moral conviction about the country's direction, including ICE enforcement, cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and USAID, and politicians who claimed Christian faith without acting on it. He described ICE raids in southwest Kansas's meatpacking towns and recounted his victory speech built on the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Hamilton argued that his decades of pastoring a politically mixed congregation taught him to change minds by listening to people's fears, citing members who shifted views on same-sex marriage. He responded to attacks from Vice President JD Vance and Ted Cruz by saying he bore no animosity but would not kowtow. Miller closed by playing Hamilton's 2013 inaugural prayer service remarks about "knocking holes in the darkness."

In the second segment, Rob Flaherty offered a "life topsy" of the Democratic midterm wave. He attributed the results to a favorable anti-status-quo environment, an economic-populist message delivered with pragmatism, and strong candidates and communicators such as Jon Ossoff, James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, and Scott Colom. The two discussed blowouts by Roy Cooper, Ossoff, and Josh Shapiro in swing states, Beto O'Rourke's organizing legacy in Texas, Republican mid-cycle gerrymanders that backfired, and the electoral backlash against AI super PACs and data centers, which Flaherty said Democrats must address with a regulatory plan.

Chapters

  1. 0:12

    Election night in Kansas

    Hamilton describes the feeling of winning and waiting for the race to be called.

  2. 2:44

    Why a pastor ran for Senate

    Hamilton explains his conviction to run, his wife's change of heart, and the January killing of Renee Good.

  3. 6:52

    Immigration and ICE in western Kansas

    Hamilton recounts ICE raids in meatpacking towns, Republican farmers' objections, and his views on ICE funding and detention.

  4. 12:09

    The Good Samaritan victory speech

    Hamilton walks through the parable he used in his victory speech and applies it to cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and USAID.

  5. 18:58

    Bridging divides and changing minds

    Hamilton argues that listening to people's fears changes minds, citing his congregation's shift on LGBTQ inclusion.

  6. 26:09

    Responding to Vance and Cruz

    Hamilton addresses attacks from JD Vance and Ted Cruz and his hope for theological conversations.

  7. 29:06

    Knocking holes in the darkness

    Miller plays Hamilton's 2013 inaugural prayer service remarks and Hamilton reflects on their relevance.

  8. 34:03

    Rob Flaherty's midterm 'life topsy'

    Flaherty explains the environment, message, and communications that drove Democratic wins.

  9. 40:53

    Swing-state blowouts

    Miller and Flaherty discuss Cooper, Ossoff, and Shapiro's large margins and their implications.

  10. 48:34

    Texas: Beto's legacy, Talarico and Hinojosa

    They credit Beto O'Rourke's organizing and praise Gina Hinojosa's campaign while debating whether Texas is a 2028 swing state.

  11. 54:41

    Scott Colom and Mississippi

    Flaherty praises Colom's authentic content-driven campaign and argues Mississippi is swingable.

  12. 58:03

    Gerrymandering backfires

    Miller argues Republican mid-cycle gerrymanders became dummymanders and spurred Black voter backlash.

  13. 1:03:08

    AI super PACs and data centers

    Flaherty calls the AI super PAC strategy a major misread and urges Democrats to regulate AI.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton says he was not recruited by Chuck Schumer and ran out of conviction that the country's direction was wrong.

    “I just had a deep sense of conviction that what was happening in our country was not right, that there were people being hurt”

    Listen from 3:29 · 2026 United States Senate election in Kansas

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton criticizes Washington figures who claim Christian faith but act contrary to the Gospels.

    “There were people in Washington who claimed Christian faith, but I couldn't figure out which gospels they were reading from because it wasn't Matthew, Mark, Luke or John”

    Listen from 3:40 · Christianity

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton describes ICE raids in southwest Kansas that left children waiting at schools because parents feared arrest.

    “there were parents who were afraid to go pick up their children at school after school because they were afraid they'd be arrested”

    Listen from 7:59 · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton says one heavily Hispanic county in western Kansas swung 56 points from Trump's margin, partly due to voter registration.

    “one of those counties flipped by, I think it was 56 points from what Donald Trump got two years ago to what I got in this race”

    Listen from 8:37 · 2026 United States Senate election in Kansas

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton supports ICE's original mission but argues it has been overfunded, militarized, politicized, and driven by arrest quotas.

    “They have been militarized and politicized and many times not properly trained militarily”

    Listen from 11:31 · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton argues that cuts to SNAP, USAID, and a trillion dollars from Medicaid represent the nation choosing not to see people in need.

    “we decided we were going to cut, you know, a trillion dollars from Medicaid over a 10 year period of time. You know, we decided we didn't really see those people”

    Listen from 15:24 · Medicaid

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton argues that politicians exploit fear and that understanding people's fears opens the door to changing minds.

    “a lot of times our decision-making process is built around fear. And politicians are masters at making us fear other people”

    Listen from 20:08 · Political polarization in the United States

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton distinguishes between irritating opponents and influencing them, saying persuasion requires making people feel heard.

    “is my goal here in this sermon or this relationship or whatever, merely to irritate someone or is it to influence them? Irritating is super easy”

    Listen from 23:30 · Political polarization in the United States

  • Adam Hamilton

    Hamilton says he holds no animosity toward JD Vance after Vance's attacks and hopes to discuss theology with him, but will not defer to him.

    “I don't have any animosity towards him. I'm like, let's have a conversation. I'd love to talk with you, but I won't kowtow to him”

    Listen from 26:39 · Christianity

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty attributes Democratic success to an anti-status-quo message on affordability and corruption combining economic populism with pragmatism.

    “a lot of people dialed in on a really smart sort of mix of like kind of an economic populist message with sort of a pragmatist ethos”

    Listen from 36:35 · 2026 United States midterm elections

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty warns against overlearning digital tactics, arguing new media only works when candidates have something to say authentically.

    “that only works if you have something to say and if you're doing it in a way that resonates with you. It rhymes with who you are”

    Listen from 37:47 · 2026 United States midterm elections

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty argues Trump's outrageous style worked as an outsider but became counterproductive once he was in charge.

    “it went from being a thing that showed that he was an agent of change to being he's sort of an agent of stasis in your life staying worse”

    Listen from 40:06 · 2026 United States midterm elections

  • Linked moment · 53:50Skip to 53:50 using a listen link in the info box.

    Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty is uncertain Texas will be a swing state in 2028, citing differences between midterm and presidential electorates and cost.

    “in 28, I think it's possible, but it's an expensive fucking state. And so I don't know, but we'll see”

    Listen from 53:50 · 2026 United States Senate election in Texas

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty believes Mississippi is structurally swingable because of its large Black electorate and low campaign costs.

    “I do believe that Mississippi is – a swingable state. Like, I really believe that. It has all the factors that is the sort of largest proportion of Black voters”

    Listen from 55:38 · 2026 United States Senate election in Mississippi

  • Tim Miller

    Miller argues Republican mid-cycle gerrymanders backfired and spurred higher Black turnout in the South.

    “Not only did the gerrymanders functionally not work and ended up being a dummy mander with a B, but on top of that, huge backlash”

    Listen from 1:01:22 · Redistricting in the United States

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty says the AI super PAC Leading the Future misjudged public opinion by assuming voters didn't care about AI.

    “The theory of their whole thing was no one cares about AI. So if we just threaten politicians with money, no one will regulate this and we can all get super rich”

    Listen from 1:03:56 · Leading the Future

  • Tim Miller

    Miller reports an analysis finding that 39 of 40 data center ballot initiatives rejected data center expansion.

    “39 ballot initiatives said no thank you to data center expansion. One failed”

    Listen from 1:05:09 · Data center ballot initiatives

  • Rob Flaherty

    Flaherty argues voter anger over data centers is becoming broader AI anger and Democrats must have a regulatory plan.

    “It is incumbent on Democrats to have a plan for that world and for regulating it”

    Listen from 1:06:47 · Artificial intelligence

People

In the conversation

  • Tim MillerWriter at The Bulwark cited on opposing the war
  • Adam HamiltonMethodist pastor in Kansas described as running for office
  • Rob FlahertyFormer Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager who wrote about the DNC autopsy in The Bulwark

Discussed

  • Roger MarshallRepublican U.S. senator from Kansas
  • JD VanceVice President of the United States
  • Ted CruzU.S. senator who called the Druski sketch beneath contempt
  • Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
  • James TalaricoDemocratic Senate nominee in Texas
  • Renee GoodWoman killed in an ICE encounter in Minneapolis
  • Martin Luther King Jr.American civil rights leader who nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize
  • Jon OssoffU.S. senator from Georgia cited as connecting corruption and economics
  • Roy CooperFormer North Carolina governor running for Senate
  • Josh ShapiroGovernor of Pennsylvania whose residence was set on fire in an arson attack
  • Scott ColomMississippi district attorney and 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Mississippi
  • Gina HinojosaDemocratic nominee for governor of Texas
  • Beto O'RourkeFormer Texas congressman who ran against Ted Cruz in 2018
  • Anderson ClaytonChair of the North Carolina Democratic Party
  • James BlairTrump White House political director leading the GOP midterm operation
  • Marc AndreessenVenture capitalist referenced on founders and ayahuasca
  • Elon MuskEntrepreneur behind X, xAI and SpaceX, discussed in AI competition
  • Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublican U.S. senator from Mississippi, Colom's opponent
  • Chuck SchumerSenate Democratic leader

Topics

From the publisher

Kansas Senator-elect Hamilton was not recruited out of the Democratic Party pipeline. The Methodist pastor chose to challenge Roger Marshall because he didn't like what was happening in the country, including with ICE agents and cuts to healthcare. But he was also bothered by people in DC claiming to be Christian but not acting like it. Plus: Kamala campaign alum Rob Flaherty joins Tim to celebrate some of the biggest midterm stars, the Dems figuring out how to communicate with voters, the massive blowouts in Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—and how Democrats in the new Congress have to address the growing concerns over AI. Senator-elect Adam Hamilton and Rob Flaherty join Tim Miller. show notes: Hamilton's victory speech Tim’s interview with North Carolina’s Anderson Clayton Gina Hinojosa’s personal “I Chose Her” ad Scott Colom’s “Pick Another Senator” ad Colom talking to Trump voters in line for a Trump rally Rob’s “Nobody Knows Anything” podcast Rob’s piece for The Bulwark on the DNC autopsy The Bulwark store 20% OFF FLASH BULWARK+ on Substack for the next year. Go beyond the paywall and get unfettered access to ad-free and member-only video and written content from The Bulwark. Go to: TheBulwark.com/sanitywins Bulwark+ members via Substack can set up their personal RSS feeds on their podcast player of choice to access ad-free and member-only shows. Get 20% off when you go to trustandwill.com/BULWARK

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 6, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Politics·Christianity·News Commentary