Adam Hamilton served for decades as a prominent Christian pastor, author, and community leader in Kansas. Now, as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, he’s looking to take the approach he developed and lead a politically diverse congregation into Washington.
Hamilton was accompanied for much of this journey by his wife, LaVon Bandy, whom he described as his “high school sweetheart” and one of the most important influences in his life.
The couple married in June 1982, shortly after Hamilton graduated from high school. More than four decades later, they had two daughters, a granddaughter and two dogs, according to Hamilton’s official campaign biography.
Who is Adam Hamilton?
Hamilton is a fifth-generation Kansan who grew up in Prairie Village. He is best known as the longtime pastor of Resurrection United Methodist Church, which he and LaVon helped establish in the Kansas City area in 1990.
He is now challenging Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas’ Nov. 3 Senate election. Hamilton’s campaign sees him as a candidate committed to lowering costs, protecting health care and overcoming partisan divides.
Political cooperation became a central part of Hamilton’s pitch to voters. He said his congregation is roughly evenly split between Republicans, Democrats and independents, and thinks his experience bringing people with opposing views together can translate to politics. His campaign said he is running because Washington needs to do more to “really listen and bring people together to solve problems.”
Hamilton also took a stand on some politically divisive issues. He supports protecting access to contraceptives and women’s ability to make their own reproductive health decisions. On economic policy, he has called for eliminating tariffs that increase costs for consumers, while his other priorities include lowering prescription drug costs, improving rural health care and expanding housing supply.
Where does Hamilton stand in the polls?
Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Hamilton is in a tight race with Marshall, who currently holds the seat.
The latest RealClearPolling average, covering surveys conducted between September 8 and October 14, puts Marshall at 46% to Hamilton’s 45.7%, with the Republican leading by just 0.3 percentage points.
Individual polls have produced similarly narrow results. An InsiderAdvantage survey conducted on October 13 and 14 showed Marshall’s approval rating at 48% and Hamilton’s 47%, well within the poll’s 2.8 percentage point margin of error.
Other recent investigations have moved in Hamilton’s direction. A YouGov poll conducted from September 24 to October 4 showed Hamilton leading Marshall by 3 points, 48% to 45%, while a September Emerson College survey showed Hamilton leading Marshall by 2 points.
The race is particularly competitive given Kansas’ Republican leanings. President Donald Trump is leading the state by more than 16 points in the 2024 presidential election, and Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932, according to racial context provided by RealClearPolling.
Who is LaVon Bandy?
Laffoon was a part of Hamilton’s life long before he entered politics.
Hamilton’s official campaign biography said the two were high school sweethearts and married a week after Hamilton graduated. The couple celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary in June 2026.
When Hamilton began the job that would define his career, Laffon was by his side. The couple built the Church of the Resurrection in 1990 in borrowed space with just four people.
Hamilton has spoken openly about how important his wife’s support is.
2022 marks their 40th wedding anniversary, and Hamilton wrote on Facebook that he married his “best friend and high school sweetheart” on June 5, 1982.
“I had no idea of the adventure we were about to embark on or what a wonderful woman, partner, companion, mother, and mummy she would become,” he wrote.
Hamilton also praised Lavon’s “companionship, encouragement, help,” her questions and the way she challenged him for profoundly shaping his life. He said their collaboration helped make Resurrection Church possible.
Adam Hamilton and Lavonne Bandy’s Marriage
Hamilton’s anniversary message provided a rare personal account of a relationship that has lasted more than four decades.
“I fell in love with her eyes, her spirit and her beauty,” he wrote in a 2022 post, adding that 40 years later, Laffoon still makes him smile and “takes my breath away” when he sees her.
His comments also illustrate the importance of faith to the couple’s marriage. Hamilton said marrying Lavon was “the best thing that ever happened to me” after being adopted by Christ.
The marriage lasted throughout Hamilton’s adult career, from his education and early ministry, through the founding and expansion of his church, to his more recent forays into electoral politics.
The couple’s role in founding the church also means Laffoon’s ties to Hamilton’s public life stretch back decades before he ran for the Senate. In Hamilton’s own narrative, she depicts her not just as his wife but as a partner whose encouragement, questions, and challenges helped shape his personal life and ministry.
As Hamilton tries to convince Kansas voters that his decades of religious and community leadership prepared him for the Senate, his marriage to his high school sweetheart remains one of the longest threads in his story.
newsweek The Hamilton, Kansas, campaign has been contacted for comment.
Newsweek reporters and editors used our artificial intelligence assistant Martyn to produce this story. Learn more about Martin here.
Contact Newsweek editors: Ben Kelly and Emma Lee-Sang