Erik Murray

Erik Murray (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Kansas. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026.

Biography

Erik Murray was born in Kansas City, Kansas. Murray earned a high school diploma from Sumner Academy. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur.^[1]

Elections

2026

United States Senate election in Kansas, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

United States Senate election in Kansas, 2026 (August 4 Republican primary)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. Senate Kansas

Incumbent Roger Marshall (R), Adam Hamilton (D), and David Graham (L) are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Kansas on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Roger Marshall (R)
		Adam Hamilton (D)
		David Graham (L)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kansas

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kansas on August 4, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Adam Hamilton	34.9	76,229
	Christy Davis	14.1	30,853
	Noah Taylor	13.4	29,237
	Anne Parelkar	7.4	16,247
	Erik Murray	6.7	14,707
	Patrick Schmidt	5.9	12,981
	Sandy Spidel Neumann	5.6	12,334
	Jason Hart	5.4	11,850
	Damon Anderson	2.9	6,297
	Kevin Latz	1.8	3,991
	Michael Soetaert	1.8	3,880

	There were no incumbents in this race. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 218,606
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kansas

Incumbent Roger Marshall (R) defeated Pond Naramore (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kansas on August 4, 2026.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Roger Marshall	79.8	263,159
	Pond Naramore	20.2	66,758

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 329,917
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chase LaPorte (R)

Endorsements

Erik Murray received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

Erik Murray did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Murray's campaign website stated the following:

13 Areas of Focus.
Real Solutions. People First.
Working families are being asked to accept less. Less healthcare, less opportunity, less honesty from their government, while a small group at the top gets more. That's not the deal America promised. These thirteen commitments are how we restore it.

I. The Basics
The foundation every American deserves. No exceptions, no asterisks.

Universal Healthcare
In a country this prosperous, every American should have access to healthcare. Start now: restore ACA cuts, protect and expand Medicaid. Build toward universal coverage, because healthier Americans cost less, work more, and live better. This isn't just a moral commitment. It's the most fiscally responsible investment we can make.

Fully Fund Education
Fully fund public education, special education, trades training, and college pathways. Every kid graduates ready to compete. Every adult has an affordable path to the next skill. Health and education are where American greatness starts, and where we've been shortchanging ourselves for a generation.

Build More Housing
Cut the red tape that's gone too far. Incentivize new construction. Invest in the infrastructure that makes neighborhoods possible. Supply works, and a roof over your head is the foundation of safety, stability, and opportunity for American families.

A Functioning Immigration System
Immigration is not a threat to America. It is one of America's greatest economic engines. Immigrants start businesses, fill critical workforce gaps, pay taxes, serve in our military, and enrich our communities. We can have strong, secure, orderly borders and a humane, efficient immigration system. These are not in conflict. What we have now is a broken, backlogged, politically exploited system that serves no one. We need real reform: clear pathways, real enforcement, and a system built for the 21st century economy.

II. Economic Opportunity
An economy that works for workers, small businesses, and the next generation. Not just the top.

Restore the American Dream
Workers first. Higher wages, stronger infrastructure, more housing, more jobs, so the next generation does better than the last. The American Dream has been broken. This is the first generation that expects to do worse than the one before. That is a solvable problem, and solving it is a moral obligation.

Fairer Tax Policy
Trickle down didn't work for 99% of us. Cut taxes on working families. Explore exempting the first $75K to $100K of income from federal taxes, and require corporations and the ultra wealthy to pay a fair share. Fund healthcare, education, and infrastructure without accounting tricks or fantasy math.

Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
At least $15 per hour, phased in, with Congress required to revisit it every 4 to 5 years. As AI reshapes the economy, we must be ready to protect workers, including serious study of tools like Universal Basic Income if structural job displacement becomes severe.

Break Up Monopolies
Enforce antitrust law. Protect workers, small businesses, and consumers from mega corporations that fix prices and crush competition. Free markets require fair markets, and we haven't had them in too many industries for too long.

Honor Those Who Serve
Veterans, teachers, first responders, healthcare workers. Those who serve deserve real support in return: a fully funded VA, scholarships, childcare, job training, and reduced barriers to the services they help build and protect. When we invest in those who serve, everyone benefits. This is a circular investment in the strength of our whole economy.

End the Tariff Tax
Tariffs are a tax Americans pay, at the register, at the grain elevator, at the parts counter. They drive inflation and fuel the affordability crisis. Eliminate broad, across the board tariffs. Reserve targeted ones for genuine, specific national interest cases with clear criteria and sunset provisions. Open global markets for Kansas farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and consumers, because American workers and producers can compete when the rules are fair.

III. Democracy, Justice & Good Governance
The commitments that require moral courage, and define what kind of country we choose to be.

Protect Democracy & Civil Rights
Hold every branch of government accountable. Demand transparency. Protect every American's right to vote, and make it easier, not harder, to exercise it. Women's rights are human rights. Privacy rights are not negotiable in a free society. The rollback of reproductive freedom, the suppression of voting rights, the erosion of privacy protections, these are real losses for real Americans that must be restored. Every American, regardless of gender, race, age, orientation, or zip code, deserves the full protection of their fundamental freedoms. This is the promise of the Constitution, and it requires courage to defend it when defending it is hard.

People First Reforms
Not political parties. Not billionaires. Not special interests. People. End Citizens United. Ban congressional stock trading. Pass and enforce a real Code of Ethics across all three branches of government. Reform lobbying and the revolving door. Restore trust and accountability so our leaders are always working in the best interest of the people, not the interests that fund their campaigns.

Equal Justice Under Law. No Exceptions.
The rule of law means nothing if it only applies to the powerless. Wealth, political connections, and proximity to power are not exemptions from accountability. They are reasons to demand it more loudly. Full, transparent accountability for those credibly implicated in the Epstein files, regardless of who is named. Domestic terrorists and those who attack our democracy held to account with the full force of law. International war criminals pursued through every legal instrument available. No sitting or former official, at any level, of any party, placed above the law that every other American is bound by. Equal justice is either universal or it is fiction. We choose universal.

— Erik Murray's campaign website (July 29, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Erik Murray campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. Senate Kansas	Lost primary	$212,503	$200,008
Grand total			$212,503	$200,008
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Election Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete