Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall has paid a six-year-old campaign debt to a Kansas bakery owner after she publicly called him out for never collecting payment on an order placed for a 2020 election watch party.
Holly Thomas, who owns the bakery, said in an Oct. 8 Facebook post that Marshall’s campaign ordered custom cookies and other treats for the watch party but never paid the $678.75 invoice. She posted an image of the invoice along with a photo of the cookies made for the event.
“Do you know why I will never vote for Roger Marshall? Because six years ago, when I was a brand-new small business owner, his campaign ordered cookies and treats from my bakery for his primary election watch party. And I never got paid. For nearly a year, I made repeated attempts to collect payment, reaching out by phone and email. I never received a return phone call, and the invoice was never paid,” Thomas wrote.
She said the unpaid bill was especially hard to absorb because she was just starting her business at the time, and the order came during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many small businesses were struggling to stay afloat.
“Not only was I just starting out, but we were also in the middle of COVID, when small businesses everywhere were struggling just to keep their doors open. Every single dollar mattered. Those cookies and treats cost money to make, employees’ time to prepare, and resources that my little business couldn’t afford to give away,” she wrote.
“Six years later, I haven’t forgotten. 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. That experience is why Roger Marshall will never get my vote,” Thomas concluded.
Marshall, who was serving in the U.S. House when he won his Senate seat in 2020, responded two days later, posting a screenshot on X showing a $1,300 payment to the bakery — double the original bill.
“As some folks may have seen, there was a post on social media regarding an unpaid 2020 cookie bill. 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.
Thomas confirmed the payment went through.
“But I can officially confirm that Roger Marshall has paid his bill! Better late than never, right? Six years later, I guess we can finally mark that invoice PAID! Thank you all for the overwhelming support! Now, back to doing what I do best!” she wrote on Facebook.
Marshall is seeking re-election to the Senate this year.
