Marshall sued by ex-patient over interest rates as Trump restores Kansas rally

A former patient filed a class-action lawsuit this week against Sen. Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, and his former medical practice, Heartland Regional OBGYN, accusing them of charging illegally high interest on unpaid medical bills ¹. The suit lands four days before the midterm election, in a Senate race that has tightened sharply ¹.

The former patient is Meischa Zimmerman, identified in the copy as a former patient of Marshall, who worked 25 years as an obstetrician-gynecologist before entering politics ¹. The lawsuit says Marshall and Heartland "engaged in a long-standing practice of billing their patients for interest on unpaid bills at a rate in excess of 15% per annum, and often at the rate of 18% per annum" ¹.

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The suit points to Kansas law, which bars charging more than 15 percent interest, though the law does provide several exceptions ¹. It calls the 18 percent rate "unmitigated greed and blatantly unlawful" ¹. The copy does not say whether other patients have joined the case ¹.

Trump reverses course on Kansas

Republicans had said Trump would skip the Salina rally and hold a virtual event instead, and on Friday the White House confirmed he will campaign in Kansas on Sunday ¹. A source familiar with the plans told Newsweek the rallies are "back on" ¹.

From Channel GOPHamilton: 63,000 Kansans lost their health insuranceAdam Hamilton · 150 plays · captioned, with the source named

Marshall told reporters he believed Trump might have canceled because he was doing "so well in the polls" ¹. Trump himself told reporters, "I'm not going to Kansas because he's doing very well" ¹.

The source said: "President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday" ¹. The Hill reported the Kansas event moved from Saturday to Sunday, giving more time for Saturday telerallies ².

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The numbers in the race

Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor ¹. The Cook Political Report moved the race to its toss-up column in recent weeks ¹. An Emerson College poll of 800 likely voters, taken October 26 to 28, gave Hamilton 48.7 percent to Marshall's 45.2 percent, within a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points ¹.

A CNN/SSRS poll of 838 likely voters from October 20 to 26 put Hamilton ahead 49 percent to 45 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 points ¹. A Washington Post/George Mason University poll gave Hamilton 52 percent to 43 percent among 801 likely voters, but the Post cautioned that Marshall's support may be underestimated and that Democrats were more eager to respond ¹.

Hamilton also out-raised Marshall in the third quarter of 2026, taking in about $10 million to Marshall's less than $1 million ¹. Prediction markets flipped to favor Hamilton on Friday for the first time this season, giving him a 52 percent chance on Kalshi and 54 percent on Polymarket as of about 3:45 p.m. Eastern ¹. Those markets reflect trader sentiment and do not always predict outcomes ¹.

The pattern is that a race long assumed safe for Republicans is now close enough that the president's travel schedule is being rewritten in its final days ¹². That matters because a Republican loss in Kansas would improve Democrats' chances of flipping control of the Senate, according to The Hill ².

The Record

1. Oct 20, 2026CNN/SSRS polling of 838 likely voters runs through October 26 and shows Hamilton ahead 49 to 45 ¹
2. Oct 26, 2026Emerson College polling of 800 likely voters begins, showing Hamilton ahead 48.7 to 45.2 ¹
3. Oct 30, 2026White House confirms Trump will rally in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday; prediction markets flip to Hamilton ¹

Sources

1. Newsweek, “GOP's Roger Marshall Sued by Ex-Patient as Trump Revives Kansas Rally Plans” (2026-10-30). newsweek.com/gops-roger-marshall-sued-by-ex-patient-as-trump
2. The Hill, “Trump’s heartland rally reversal” (2026-10-30). thehill.com/newsletters/1230-report/6184419-donald-trump-mid

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