Trump campaigns in Kansas for Sen. Roger Marshall as Democrat Adam Hamilton makes the Senate race unexpectedly close

What happened

President Donald Trump held a campaign rally Monday night, Oct. 19, at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kansas, to support Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, ABC News reported. Park City sits about 10 miles north of Wichita. Marshall, a one-term incumbent, faces what ABC described as a surprisingly close race against Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor who founded the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States.

According to ABC News, the contest is drawing attention because a Hamilton win could end Kansas' 94-year streak of electing Republican senators. The rally came about two weeks before election day, with the balance of power in the Senate at stake. PBS NewsHour reported the stop was part of a seven-day campaign blitz by the president. More midterm coverage is in our elections section.

What Trump said at the rally

ABC News reported that Trump made a series of personal and baseless attacks on Hamilton. He called the pastor a "bad person" and a "disgrace" who is "pretending to be a moderate." PBS NewsHour said the president also made misleading claims about immigrants in Kansas and about Hamilton.

According to ABC, Trump returned to anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric. He aimed criticism at Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and he referenced Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. El-Sayed told ABC's Linsey Davis, "My name and my faith are not the reason people can't afford their gas." Both outlets reported that Trump used an antisemitic slur while defending Marshall.

Trump also predicted Republicans would keep control of Congress. He dismissed national polls by pointing to his 2016 win. ABC reported that five protesters interrupted the rally in four separate incidents and were escorted out. Not long before the event, news broke that a local man will face a federal charge for allegedly threatening to shoot the president ahead of the rally.

Why the race became competitive

Medical debt lawsuits

ABC News cited a recent New York Times report that Marshall, a former OB/GYN, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills. The Times also reported that his lawyers sought arrest warrants for at least 81 patients who missed court dates. Marshall has denied the report, ABC said. At the rally, Trump argued that Marshall "was mandated by law to request strongly money owed from patients."

Jared Cerullo of PBS Kansas, host of the weekly show "Kansas Week," told PBS NewsHour that Marshall practiced in Great Bend. Cerullo said some of the patients went to jail after ignoring court orders. He said those patients included low-income single mothers.

A town hall walkout

Cerullo said Marshall's troubles began early last year at a town hall in Oakley, a small town in Western Kansas. Several hundred people attended and asked challenging questions. Cerullo said Marshall became visibly upset and walked out, and Democrats began hitting him hard afterward. He added that Hamilton has been a viable candidate, unlike many past Democrats in the state.

Residency questions

Opponents have claimed Marshall does not actually live in Kansas, Cerullo said, pointing to a vacation home he had in Florida. Marshall says he lives in Stafford, Kansas, has a mailing address there and has always lived in the state. Cerullo said that claim has been widely disputed by his opponents.

Prices and the Hamilton campaign's response

Fuel and farm costs

PBS NewsHour correspondent William Brangham noted that the Iran war has driven up fertilizer and diesel prices in heavily agricultural Kansas. Cerullo said farmers, including those featured in Hamilton's ads, are complaining about added hardship tied to fuel prices. He said Marshall promised at the rally to lower grocery and fuel prices but gave no direct plans for doing so.

Hamilton spokesperson Tyson Brody said in a statement obtained by ABC News on Tuesday that "Roger Marshall's campaign is sinking, and Washington is panicking." Brody said Kansans are being hurt by rising gas and diesel prices, are struggling to access affordable health care and are tired of corruption in Washington.

What to watch next

• Election day, which ABC News reported was about two weeks away at the time of the Oct. 19 rally, with control of the Senate in the balance.
• Whether Hamilton ends Kansas' 94-year run of electing Republican senators, the outcome ABC said is drawing attention to the race.
• The rest of Trump's seven-day campaign blitz, which PBS NewsHour reported was taking him to Greenville, North Carolina.
• The federal charge a local man faces for allegedly threatening to shoot the president before the rally, according to ABC News.