Kansas Senator Pays Long-Overdue Bakery Bill After Six Years

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall has paid a $1,300 settlement to a local bakery, six years after the business provided custom cookies and brownies for his primary election watch party in 2020. The payment comes after Holly Thomas, owner of Holly's Sweet Treats in Hutchinson, Kansas, publicly detailed the unpaid invoice on her Facebook page.

Thomas stated that Marshall's campaign ordered 150 custom sugar cookies featuring his campaign logo, 100 cupcakes, and 100 brownies for the event. The total cost for the order was $678.75. According to Thomas, she made multiple attempts to collect the payment via phone and email for nearly a year, but the invoice remained outstanding.

"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," Thomas wrote on Facebook. She added that the period was particularly difficult for small businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that "every single dollar mattered."

On social media, Marshall's campaign responded to the allegations, stating they had no explanation for the oversight but had immediately contacted the business upon learning of the issue. "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," the campaign posted on X.

The attached invoice from Marshall's campaign indicated a payment of $1,300, an amount slightly less than double the original $678.75 bill. Thomas later confirmed receipt of the payment in a follow-up post, remarking, "Better late than never, right? Six years later, I guess we can finally mark that invoice PAID!"

Marshall, who previously worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist, is up for re-election this year. This incident follows a report by The New York Times earlier this year detailing instances where Marshall sued hundreds of former patients for unpaid medical debts during his time as a practicing physician, with some patients facing jail time over small balances.