Johnson County lawyer David Graham, a Shawnee Mission North graduate, has entered the Kansas U.S. Senate contest as the Libertarian nominee. While Graham says he does not intend to be a spoiler, a New Hampshire‑based political action committee, StarkFreedom PAC, is actively promoting his candidacy in hopes of siphoning votes from Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.
StarkFreedom PAC’s strategy
Aaron Day, the founder of StarkFreedom PAC, told the Johnson County Post that a modest advertising spend could raise Graham’s poll numbers by about one percentage point. Day, a former chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus in New Hampshire and step‑son of former RNC co‑chair Sharon Day, said the goal is not necessarily to elect Graham—who is polling at roughly 3%—but to draw enough support from Marshall to give Democrat Adam Hamilton a path to victory.
Day also explained that the ultimate aim is to create a more favorable environment for Democrats to check the Trump administration’s agenda over the next two years. “I am a fan of gridlock at this point in time,” Graham said in a telephone interview, adding that he wants “actual accountability for this administration.”
Trump’s presence in Kansas
President Trump recently visited Wichita, where he praised Sen. Marshall as a “high‑quality” and “tough guy,” calling him “one of the greatest senators in our country.” The President’s endorsement underscores the administration’s confidence in Marshall’s ability to advance the policies that support traditional families, faith, and individual liberty.
Despite the President’s support, recent independent polls show the race between Marshall and Hamilton is extremely close, with the margin hovering around a single percentage point. The tight numbers have prompted the Trump administration to send both Vice President JD Vance and President Trump to Kansas to shore up Marshall’s support.
Local impact and campaign dynamics
StarkFreedom PAC has raised only a few thousand dollars so far, but it plans to run a series of online ads on Facebook and X over the next two weeks, targeting Kansas voters who are dissatisfied with President Trump yet reluctant to vote for a Democrat. Day described this group as the PAC’s “sweet spot.”
The PAC’s efforts are part of a broader strategy that includes eight other close Senate races in states such as Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Day cited his own experience as an independent candidate in New Hampshire’s 2016 Senate race, where a $5,000 investment helped him pull 2.4% of the vote and contributed to a narrow Democratic victory.
Candidate positions
Graham emphasizes his support for the Second Amendment, lower taxes, and reduced government. He also advocates for defunding Medicare and Medicaid, opposes abortion on the basis that fertilization marks the creation of a separate human being, and supports the legalization of marijuana as a personal‑freedom issue.
Both the Hamilton and Marshall campaigns declined to comment on StarkFreedom PAC’s activities. Graham maintains he is running to win and does not consider himself a spoiler, stating, “To the extent that I ‘take votes away’ from someone, I really believe that I’m taking them evenly from the other two candidates.”
Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.
