U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall discusses his medical and ag background, legislative record in D.C. and commitment to visiting counties across Kansas.
* U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall recently completed a 50-county tour across Kansas ahead of his 2026 reelection campaign.
* The tour promoted federal tax legislation and was inspired by Kansas values, Marshall said.
* Marshall’s tour launched shortly after a similar tour by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, fueling speculation she may challenge him.
ALMA — Facing reelection in the 2026 midterm elections, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall recently completed a tour that touched many Kansas counties.
“We’ve worked really hard to keep our finger on the pulse of Kansas,” Marshall, R-Kansas, said when asked about running for another six-year term in the Senate. “We’ve been in every county, all 105 counties, at least five times. This is my sixth trip to most of these counties currently as well.
“My prayer every morning is that I would be a message of hope. But as I go visit these communities on this big tour, they give me hope. They encourage me.”
Praising communities coming together to respond to wildfires in southwest Kansas, Marshall said, “What motivates me are just the traditions and the Kansas values that I see lived out every day.”
Marshall’s tour touted federal legislation from last year that was originally labeled by President Donald Trump as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but has since been rebranded by Republicans as the Working Families Tax Cuts.
Senator’s office says not all stops were publicly shared
The tour was dubbed “4 Corners, 50 Counties.” Press releases from the senator’s office publicly identified locations in 39 counties, but a spokesperson identified 11 other counties that were not publicly shared due to privacy concerns.
The nearest stop to Topeka was in Wabaunsee County, and while media was invited, it doesn’t appear that the general public was. Two journalists from The Capital-Journal were the only media in attendance at that Feb. 19 stop in Alma, where Marshall toured The Heritage Home.
Shawnee County wasn’t on the list, and neither were other neighboring counties of Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie and Osage.
Marshall’s press releases and spokesperson also didn’t list stops in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties in the Kansas City metro. He did visit Reno and Saline counties, the spokesperson said.
“Bob Dole told me always remember where you’re from,” Marshall said. “I think when you come back and you visit these counties, you know, a five-stop tour is not exactly a tour around Kansas. Make 50 stops and see every county every year. I think that’s when you really understand what’s going on across the state of Kansas.”
Roger Marshall’s tour launched after Sharice Davids tour
Marshall launched his tour about two weeks after U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, toured four cities with multiple stops in each one.
When asked, Marshall did not directly address the possibility of Davids running for Senate or comments by Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin.
“I do think that Roger Marshall is certainly vulnerable,” Martin told The Capital-Journal after a Feb. 7 event in Ottawa. “There’s no doubt, if you look at his approval ratings, there is an opportunity here.”
A Democrat has not won a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas since 1932, which is the longest active losing streak in the country.
The Democratic primary currently has six declared candidates vying for the chance to challenge Marshall in the 2026 general election. Three of them — Christy Davis, Anne Parelkar and Sandy Spidel Neumann — participated in a November forum. State Sen. Patrick Schmidt, D-Topeka, filed to run in February. Also running are Erik Murray and Mike Soetaert.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that Davids could join the race. The congresswoman recently held her “Kansas Strong Tour” featuring stops in Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City and Colby — four cities that are outside her congressional district. She has continued to say that “all options remain on the table” when it comes to a run for Senate.
Why Roger Marshall is running for reelection
Marshall indicated he is running for reelection because “I want to leave this world better than I found it.”
He has four children and five grandchildren, and “I want them to have the same shot at the American dream that I’ve had.”
“I came up from very humble beginnings: fifth-generation farm kid, first-generation college student that got to live my American dream, go to medical school and go back and and deliver 5,000 babies in rural America,” Marshall said. “So I want to make sure that our grandchildren have that same shot.”
He also touted his life experiences.
“I think that my diverse background — from agriculture, growing up in the oil patch, being a physician, military service — that I’ve learned a few things and maybe can help legislate things to make our economy stronger here, but at the same time respect the individualism that Kansans want,” he said. “They don’t want the federal government telling them what they should be teaching. They don’t want the federal government telling them that boys should compete in girls sports, those types of things as well.”
Marshall said he understands agriculture.
“I understand that American farmers and ranchers make money is when we take corn and turn it into beef, or we take sorghum and turn it into ethanol,” he said. “That’s when the American farmer makes money. You talk about rural economic development, and it all starts with agriculture. A strong economy means there’s more money coming through that community to help create new jobs as well.”
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
