Ideas

What’s the Matter With Moderation?

Hoping to break a 94-year losing streak, Kansas Democrats have turned to Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor whose mood may not match his party’s.

First published in The Atlantic on September 6, 2026.

by David Von Drehle, The Atlantic

September 10, 2026 | reading time: 17 Min.

One simple rule shapes Kansas politics: Republicans win statewide. In U.S. Senate races, the GOP has prevailed without interruption for more than 90 years. But the rule has a corollary, which accounts for the occasional Democratic governor. A Republican thought to be too extreme, too ideological, or too big for their britches can be beaten by a centrist Democrat when the wind blows just right.