Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton faced off in a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday, clashing over immigration, artificial intelligence, transgender athletes, and personal controversies.

The hourlong debate came less than two weeks before Election Day, with Marshall seeking a second term and Hamilton, a longtime pastor, attempting to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since 1932.

The race has drawn significant national attention as both parties battle for Senate control, with President Donald Trump traveling to Kansas earlier in the week to campaign for Marshall.

The debate opened on an immediately combative note, with both candidates confronted over separate controversies that have fueled attacks from their opponents throughout the campaign.

Marshall faced questions about a New York Times review finding that his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, to which he responded: “Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business. We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric.”

Hamilton was questioned over his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church’s summer camp who was accused of sexual abuse, with the Democrat acknowledging he should have acted more decisively.

“I should have checked to make sure that he wasn’t going back,” Hamilton said, adding: “That was a mistake on my part.”

Trump’s presence loomed over the debate after moderators played footage of the president urging Kansas voters to treat the race as though he were personally on the ballot.

Marshall was asked whether Trump’s endorsement meant he would back the president’s entire agenda, and he pushed back clearly, saying there had been “multiple times” when he objected to Trump, citing immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump’s approach to beef imports as specific disagreements.

“Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right,” Marshall joked. “And President Trump is not always right.”

Despite that distance, Marshall urged Trump voters to support him, warning that a Hamilton victory could hand Democrats control of the Senate.

In a rare moment of agreement, both candidates stated that there are two genders when asked directly by the moderator, with Marshall noting he had delivered 5,000 babies during his medical career, and Hamilton stating plainly: “There are two genders, male and female.”

The two diverged, however, on how to handle transgender participation in women’s sports, with Hamilton arguing eligibility decisions should generally be made locally while still maintaining a firm personal position.

“I have a 12-year-old granddaughter. I don’t want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her,” Hamilton said. “It’s not a fair, fair fight.”

Marshall argued that by high school, “boys need to be in boys sports, girls in girls sports,” and accused national Democrats of pushing what he called “transgender ideology.”

On artificial intelligence, Hamilton called for sweeping federal oversight, comparing the technology’s rise to the development of nuclear weapons and arguing the government created a Nuclear Regulatory Commission and should do the same for AI.

When pressed to name specific regulations he would support, Hamilton conceded he did not yet have a concrete answer, saying: “You know what? I’m not sure, to be honest.”

Marshall favored a “light touch” approach centered on national security, transparency, child protection, and privacy, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Hamilton, who warned: “This is an existential, potential existential threat to the human race. We can’t just go with a light touch and hope everybody does their best.”

Hamilton also sought to distance himself from former President Joe Biden, calling Biden’s approach to the southern border “a disaster” and insisting he believes in “strong and secure borders.”

“I’m not somebody who favors the Socialist Party,” Hamilton added. “I’m somebody who stands in the middle.”

Hamilton further pledged that he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats were to capture control of the chamber, reinforcing his pitch to Kansas voters as a centrist independent voice.