Candidates clash over Trump policies, Senate control in debate

GOP Sen. Roger Marshall and Pastor Adam Hamilton debated tariffs, war and high fuel prices, and also addressed the most controversial issues in each of their campaigns.

The candidates in Kansas' surprisingly competitive Senate race faced off in a debate Wednesday evening, as Republicans fight to head off the possibility of their first loss in a Kansas Senate contest in nearly a century.Incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Marshall hammered away at what it would mean if he were to lose — that it could help hand control of the Senate to Democrats: "My opponent's going to say anything he can to lie to get into that office and give control to Chuck Schumer."Marshall's Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, tried to convince voters that he's not too progressive for Kansans and went on the offensive against Marshall over the impact of tariffs, the Iran war and other Trump administration policies on the state.Marshall hewed closely to many of President Trump's views, and like him, blamed rising diesel costs on the war in Ukraine, rather than the Iran war."The real problem with the cost of diesel, in particular, is No.

1, is the Ukraine war, and because of that, diesel production has gone down," Marshall said. But at the same time, he said of Mr. Trump's recent announcement that the U.S. would purchase Russian diesel, "it doesn't sound like a great idea to me." He added, "If this brings Russia to the bargaining table and it ends the war,