Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.
Posted by Up First from NPR, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Up First from NPROct 20, 2026
Multiple tier1 and tier2 sources (Reuters, PolitiFact, NYT, NPR) confirm Kansas last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1932, which is 94 years before 2026, so 'nearly a century' is accurate. The claim faithfully reflects the passage's statement; the 'polls suggest it's possible' part is the post's own framing and is not part of the extracted claim.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… What are the president's travel plans? Tell us about the state of play. This is not really where the leader of the Republican Party should be spending his time and energy. Kansas hasn't elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century, and yet polls suggest it's possible. There's a trip to a conservative corner of Iowa. That's a state where Democrats could flip the governor's office, three of four House seats, and the Senate seat because of how unpopular Republicans are. …
Up First from NPR · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports the last time Kansas sent a Democrat to the US Senate was during the Great Depression era, 94 years before the 2026 race.[1]
Supports. PolitiFact (2014) states Kansas last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1932, with George McGill serving 1930-39.[2]
Supports. NYT and NPR both state Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932 or the 1930s, with NPR noting it has been 94 years.[3][4]
Supports. Multiple local and wire outlets, including KMBC and HPPR, confirm McGill's 1932 win and that no Kansas Democrat has been elected since.[5][6]
Context. The claim's 'nearly a century' phrasing is a fair rounding of the 94-year gap, and the claim is a faithful extraction of the passage.[1][7]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Could disillusioned Kansas voters send their first Democrat to the US Senate in 94 years?reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Last time Kansans elected someone other than a Republican to the ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Senate Candidates Spar in Kansas, a Surprise Battleground That Could Swing Controlnytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4The Kansas Senate race is looking like a toss up. Yes, really.npr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Kansas' last Democratic U.S. Senate win came in 1932 - KMBCkmbc.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Has it been more than 90 years since a Kansas Democrat ...hppr.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Hamilton could be the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in ...ksn.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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