Kansas and Michigan Senate Races See Campaign Clashes and Shifting Forecasts

As of mid-September 2026, election forecasters offered differing assessments of the Kansas U.S. Senate race, in which Democrat Adam Hamilton is challenging for a seat Republicans have held continuously since 1939. The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the race 'Likely R' or 'Lean R,' while RealClearPolitics and Race to the White House classified it as a tossup. Separately, Hamilton appeared on NBC's Meet the Press NOW on September 18 and characterized Vice President JD Vance's criticism of his faith on the campaign trail as a sign of 'desperation.' In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers did not attend a debate held on September 15, an absence he addressed publicly on September 16. Rogers said the event was actually a town hall he had never agreed to participate in and that it was not on his schedule, and he criticized the format, saying a debate should not be a 'two-on-one event in a TV studio.' His Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, criticized Rogers for not attending, using an extended metaphor about an 'elephant' avoiding the room, a reference to the Republican Party's symbol. Separately, El-Sayed also faced criticism after remarks, reported around September 12, in which he said medical decisions about transgender treatment for minors should be left to qualified doctors without government interference. The Kansas Senate race's final competitiveness rating remains unresolved given the split among major forecasters. The specific terms and scheduling disagreement over the Michigan debate/town hall, including who was responsible for confirming Rogers' participation, also remains unresolved, as reports present only the competing characterizations offered by the candidates.