Trump returns to Texas as the Senate map shifts.

Stephanie Ruhle (0:10)

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is 10 a.m. on the East Coast, 7 a.m. out West. You know me, I am Stephanie Ruhle. Welcome back to the second hour of Money, Power, Politics. I have a feeling it's going to be a great Group Chat. What's going on in the news? Well, the president is heading back to Texas tonight to hold another rally with Ken Paxton. This will be his third trip to the Lone Star State in the last month as the race for the Senate remains very tight. The president thinks he's making a difference.

Ken is doing much better now than I've. Everybody is since starting three, four days ago, since starting the rallies. It's brought a whole new awareness to how great the Republicans are doing, how great the economy is doing.

How great the economy is doing. Take yourself to a grocery store or a gas station. Meanwhile, Democrats are getting ready for this midterm because they are looking at this map and they think it looks a whole lot better. The Cook Political Report has shifted its ratings for three Senate races. New Hampshire is now lean Democrat. North Carolina, likely Democrat. And most notably of them all, deep red Kansas is now a toss-up, largely driven by Trump's policies on trade, beef exports and immigration. But also the Democratic candidate is a special one, Reverend Adam Hamilton. You have seen him here on the show. He's the head of the largest United Methodist congregation in our country. All right, let's enter the Group Chat. Philip Bump is back, senior data editor and columnist for the CT Insider. Kevin Roose, who we have not seen here on this show, so he better deliver. Technology columnist for The New York Times. He has got a new book out. You cannot wait to hear about Mark McKinnon, best dressed of the show, former advisor to George W. Bush and John McCain, and creator of the Circus. And David Rohde is here. MS NOW Senior National Security Reporter and joining from Wichita, Kansas, MS NOW reporter, Namdi Iguanmu. Namdi, let's start with you. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932

Namdi Iguanmu (2:10)

Exactly. And you know, when I have my conversations just this morning with residents on the ground, there's a couple of things that they think make Adam Hamilton sort of the right candidate for this moment. One, it's the way he describes himself. Adam Hamilton is sort of a part of this crop of Democratic candidates we've seen that have sought to, yes, leverage the unpopularity of Trump's agenda in states that he won by double digit, but while also maintaining a healthy distance from the national Democratic brand. Adam Hamilton is someone who has said Kamala Harris, don't come here to Kansas. He's distanced himself from Chuck Schumer. He describes himself as independent minded, frequently talks about how he initially sought to run as an independent before being urged to run as a Democrat. That plays well in an electorate like this. That's something even though supportive of him have acknowledged to me. But the other piece is what you pointed out, Steph, the fact that he also is a reverend of the largest United Methodist Church congregation in the country. That made him already well known around certain pockets of evangelicals in this state. I spoke to one member of the church who said that he already knew Adam Hamilton as through his standing as a pastor, but also it helps him with this platform. Adam Hamilton frequently talks about the fact that his own congregation is roughly a third Republican, a third Independent, that is giving him experience with uniting divided factions, he can bring that experience to the Senate. And that also is something that routinely came up in my conversations with voters, this idea that he will practice what he preaches, that he knows how to work across the aisle, that he will promote bipartisanship, and there's a real desire for that. And really the last bit, I asked him, are you guys surprised to see a Democrat in your state doing this well? And one thing everyone told me is no, they say in Kansas this is a pragmatic electorate, they point to the fact that they have elected Governor Laura Kelly twice and showed you the mold of the type of Democrat that they want. Someone like the governor who frequently touts the fact that she works across the aisle with Republicans is a very moderate, centrist type of Democrat, and again, has provided the winning formula as to what sort of Democrat can win here in Kansas. So Adam Hamilton very much so playing into that same sort of characterization as he carries out himself in the closing weeks of this race.