A US Methodist pastor has entered the race for a Senate seat in Kansas, a traditionally Republican state where Democrats hope to gain a stronger footing.

Rev Adam Hamilton, who leads the largest United Methodist congregation in the country, announced he will seek the Democratic nomination ahead of the primary on 4 August.

The eventual Democratic nominee will challenge incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who first won the seat in 2020 and aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump.

Hamilton had previously considered running as an independent, but concerns among Democrats that it could split the vote led him to enter the party primary instead. “Every week, it seemed there was another news story in the last year where I would find myself shaking my head and thinking, we have to do better,” he said.

Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, although recent elections suggest shifting political dynamics in some areas, including Johnson County, the state’s most populous region.

His candidacy has drawn criticism from both Republicans and some Democratic rivals. The Kansas Republican Party said it would portray him as out of step with voters, while candidate Noah Taylor questioned his return to the party, saying, “That’s a calculation.”

Addressing his congregation, Hamilton said he would remain senior pastor during the campaign but reduce his duties, including stepping back from preaching after completing his current sermon series. He said church operations would continue under existing leadership and stressed that strict boundaries would be maintained between church activities and the campaign.

Hamilton, who has not previously held public office, describes himself as “a liberal conservative and a conservative liberal”. On abortion, he said he opposed a 2022 amendment that would have allowed stricter limits in Kansas, adding: “I feel both of these things at the same time.”