Kansas Republican Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton met in a debate Wednesday night, according to Fox News and The New York Times. Each tried to put distance between himself and the least popular parts of his own party.

Marshall, a Republican, is seeking a second term, Fox News reported. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate since 1932. But Hamilton, a longtime pastor, has turned the race into one of the most surprising contests of the midterms, The New York Times reported. The outcome could help decide control of the Senate, Fox News said.

Fox News called the debate fiery and contentious. The Times said the most surprising thing was how civil it was. The moderator, John Holt of Fox4 in Kansas City, got the main campaign attacks out of the way early, the Times reported.

Marshall was asked about a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, Fox News reported. "Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," Marshall said.

Hamilton was asked how he handled claims about a volunteer at his church's summer camp who was said to be a sexual predator, Fox News reported. "That was a mistake on my part," Hamilton said.

Both men tried to make the race about national figures, the Times reported. For Marshall that was Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader. For Hamilton it was President Trump.

The moderator played video of Trump in Kansas this week telling voters to "pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot," Fox News reported. Asked if he backs all of Trump's agenda, Marshall said no. He named recent splits over immigration enforcement and beef imports. "President Trump is not always right," he said. But he urged Trump voters to turn out.

Hamilton broke with former President Joe Biden on the border. "The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster," he said, according to Fox News. He also said he would not support Schumer for majority leader if Democrats win the Senate.

The Times said Hamilton was the more comfortable speaker.

What we know: Marshall and Hamilton met in a debate on Wednesday night.
What we don't: Whether Hamilton's push can win a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.