Kansas GOP Sen. Roger Marshall pays off 6-year-old campaign cookie bill

Marshall Pays Double on Long-Unpaid Kansas Bakery Invoice as Senate Race Tightens

Sandego.net – Republican Sen. Roger Marshall has paid a Kansas bakery more than double the amount it was owed after a six-year-old invoice from his 2020 primary-election watch party resurfaced publicly.

The original charge was $678.75 for cookies, brownies and cupcakes prepared for Marshall’s campaign event. Holly Thomas, who owns the bakery, said the invoice remained outstanding despite repeated attempts to obtain payment during the years that followed.

Marshall shared a screenshot Saturday showing a $1,300 payment to the business. He said his team acted after learning about the unpaid balance.

“We have absolutely no idea how this happened, but rest assured as soon as it became known to us, we immediately attempted to contact the business in order to apologize, and we have repaid the bill from 2020, double,” Marshall wrote on social media.

Thomas later confirmed that the payment had arrived and said she could finally consider the invoice settled.

A Small Business Dispute Becomes Political

The matter gained attention after Thomas posted Friday that she would not support Marshall in this year’s election. Her criticism focused on the unpaid bill rather than a disagreement over party politics or legislation.

“This isn’t about political parties or policy disagreements. It’s about my personal experience as a small business owner and the importance of honoring financial commitments,” Thomas said.

“That experience is why Roger Marshall will never get my vote.”

Thomas said the bakery was still relatively new when it fulfilled the campaign order. The missed payment came during the coronavirus pandemic, a particularly difficult period for many small businesses trying to manage operating costs and uncertain customer demand.

“Six years later, I haven’t forgotten,” she said.

The episode illustrates how a relatively modest local business dispute can take on larger meaning during a competitive campaign. For a bakery, a bill of several hundred dollars can matter well beyond its face value, especially when payment is delayed for years. The dispute also offered Marshall’s opponents another example to raise as voters assess questions of accountability and financial responsibility.

Competitive Kansas Contest

Marshall is seeking reelection this fall against Democrat Adam Hamilton in a race that has become more competitive than many observers initially expected. Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly a century, but dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and broad economic unease have created an opening for Democrats.

A recent New York Times and Siena University poll placed Marshall and Hamilton even at 45% among likely voters. The tied result underscores the pressure on both campaigns as they work to persuade undecided voters and retain support in a state with a long Republican history in federal elections.

For Marshall, the bakery payment arrives as his campaign confronts scrutiny on another issue involving financial obligations. The senator, a former obstetrician-gynecologist, was criticized last month after a New York Times investigation examined lawsuits he filed against patients with unpaid medical bills.

The investigation found that Marshall had brought legal claims against more than 700 patients over outstanding balances. At least 81 people were arrested after failing to appear for scheduled court dates. Democrats have used the issue in campaign advertising, arguing that it reflects a lack of concern for patients struggling with health-care expenses.

Marshall’s Response to Medical-Debt Criticism

Marshall’s office has defended his record as a physician. Spokesperson Payton Fuller said the longtime doctor treated patients for years regardless of whether they could afford to pay.

“Judges issue warrants when people repeatedly miss court dates, not doctors,” Fuller said in a statement.

The medical-debt controversy and the bakery invoice concern different periods of Marshall’s career, but both have become relevant in an election environment shaped by household costs, access to care and trust in public officials. Campaigns frequently seek to connect personal stories with larger voter concerns, particularly when a race is close enough for small shifts in support to matter.

Thomas’ confirmation that the bakery invoice has now been paid closes the immediate dispute, although it does not erase the years she said she spent waiting for a response. Marshall’s decision to send $1,300 instead of the original $678.75 was presented as an effort to make amends once the issue came to his attention.

With the election approaching, the incident is likely to remain part of the broader conversation around Marshall’s record. The final outcome will depend on how Kansas voters weigh this episode, the candidates’ competing messages on the economy and health care, and the national political climate surrounding the race.