2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky

Not to be confused with 2026 Kentucky Senate election.

2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky

←  2020 November 3, 2026 2032 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent U.S. senator Mitch McConnell Republican

The 2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Kentucky. A primary election will be held May 19, 2026. Incumbent seven-term Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who was first elected in 1984, and most recently re-elected with 57.8% of the vote in 2020, declined to run for re-election. ^[1] This decision follows his earlier announcement to retire as Senate Republican Leader after the 2024 Senate elections.

This will be the first open Senate election in Kentucky since 2010, and the first to this seat since 1972.

Background

Kentucky, a Southern state in the Bible Belt, is generally considered to be a Republican stronghold, having not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1992. Republicans control both U.S. Senate seats, all but two statewide executive offices, supermajorities in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, and all but one seat in Kentucky's U.S. House delegation. ^[2] Democrats control the governorship and lieutenant-governorship which flipped from Republican control in 2019. ^[3]

McConnell was first elected in 1984, defeating then-incumbent Walter Dee Huddleston, and was re-elected in six subsequent elections. ^[4]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Andy Barr, U.S. representative from Kentucky's 6th congressional district (2013–present) ^[5]
• Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky Attorney General (2019–2024) and nominee for governor in 2023 ^[6]
• Michael Faris, helicopter maintenance business owner ^[7]
• Nate Morris, business conglomerate owner ^[8]

Filed paperwork

• Wende Kennedy ^[9]
• Andrew "Nick" Shelley ^[10]

Publicly expressed interest

• Scott Jennings, political strategist ^[11]
• Thomas Massie, U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district (2012–present) ^[12]

Declined

• James Comer, U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 1st congressional district (2016–present) (running for re-election) ^[13]
• Mitch McConnell, incumbent U.S. Senator (1985–present) ^[14]
• David Osborne, speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives (2018–present) from the 59th district (2005–present) ^[15]
• Damon Thayer, former state senator from the 17th district (2003–2025) ^[16]

Endorsements

Andy Barr

U.S. representatives

• Hal Rogers, KY-05 (1981–present) ^[5]
• Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader (2023–present) from LA-01 (2008–present) ^[17]
• Elise Stefanik, NY-21 (2015–present) ^[17]

State senators

• Amanda Mays Bledsoe, SD-12 (2023–present) ^[18]
• Scott Madon, SD-29 (2025–present) ^[18]
• Phillip Wheeler, SD-31 (2019–present) ^[18]

State representatives

• Kim King, HD-55 (2011–present) ^[18]

Individuals

• Riley Gaines, activist and former swimmer ^[19]

Nate Morris

U.S. senators

• Jim Banks, Indiana (2025–present) ^[20]
• Bernie Moreno, Ohio (2025–present) ^[21]

State representatives

• John Hodgson, HD-36 (2022–present) ^[22]

Individuals

• Charlie Kirk, CEO of Turning Point Action (deceased) ^[23]
• Vivek Ramaswamy, former CEO of Roivant Sciences ^[24]
• Richard Uihlein, cofounder of Uline ^[24]

Organizations

• Republicans for National Renewal ^[25]
• Senate Conservatives Fund ^[26]
• Turning Point Action ^[27]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Andy Barr (R)	$3,269,336	$853,170	$6,109,243
Daniel Cameron (R)	$893,223	$361,190	$532,033
Mike Faris (R)	$3,926	$5,807	$0
Source: Federal Election Commission [28]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Andy Barr	Daniel Cameron	Nate Morris	Other	Undecided
Public Opinion Strategies (R) [29] [A]	September 2–4, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4%	29%	37%	8%	–	26%
McLaughlin & Associates (R) [30] [B]	April 13–15, 2025	500 (LV)	± 4.5%	18%	44%	2%	–	36%
co/efficient (R) [31]	February 25–26, 2025	1,134 (LV)	± 3.1%	18%	39%	3%	11% [b]	31%
co/efficient (R) [32]	December 2–3, 2024	1,298 (LV)	± 3.1%	12%	37%	1%	14% [c]	36%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Andy Barr	Daniel Cameron	Kelly Craft	Thomas Massie	Nate Morris	Undecided
co/efficient (R) [33]	December 2–3, 2024	1,298 (LV)	± 3.1%	10%	32%	3%	16%	0%	39%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Logan Forsythe, attorney ^[34]
• Pamela Stevenson, minority leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives (2025–present) from the 43rd district (2021–present) and nominee for Attorney General in 2023 ^[35]
• Joel Willett, defense contractor ^[36]

Filed paperwork

• Jared Randall ^[37]

Publically expressed interest

• Amy McGrath, member of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors (2022–present), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, and nominee for Kentucky's 6th congressional district in 2018 ^[38]

Potential

• Dale Romans, horse trainer ^[39]

Declined

• Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky (2019–present) ^[40]
• Jacqueline Coleman, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (2019–present) ^[41]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Pamela Stevenson (D)	$225,321	$176,656	$48,665
Source: Federal Election Commission [28]

Independents

Candidates

Filed paperwork

• Scott Duncan ^[42]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Inside Elections [43]	Solid R	August 12, 2025
The Cook Political Report [44]	Solid R	August 18, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [45]	Safe R	August 12, 2025
Race To The WH [46]	Safe R	September 4, 2025

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. "Someone else" with 11%
3. Kelly Craft with 6%; "Other" with 8%

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsered by Barr's campaign
2. Poll commissioned by Cameron's campaign

References

1. Schreiner, Bruce; Freking, Kevin (February 20, 2025). "Sen. Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker". The Associated Press . Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
2. "Kentucky House and Senate Republicans maintain supermajority". kaco.org. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
3. Golshan, Tara (November 6, 2019). "Democrat Andy Beshear just unseated Kentucky's Trump-loving governor". Vox. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
4. McCausland, Phil (November 4, 2020). "Sen. Mitch McConnell wins another term in Kentucky, NBC News projects". NBC News . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
5. Horn, Austin (April 22, 2025). "Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr launches bid for U.S. Senate, gets Rogers' support". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved April 22, 2025.
6. Horn, Austin (February 20, 2025). "Daniel Cameron launches 2026 U.S. Senate bid on heels of Mitch McConnell announcement". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved February 20, 2025.
7. Sheroan, Ben (March 15, 2025). "Outsider thinks voters are looking for different voice". The News-Enterprise. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
8. Horn, Austin (June 26, 2025). "KY entrepreneur Nate Morris launches 'referendum' on McConnell bid for U.S. Senate". Lexington Herald-Leader .
9. "KENNEDY, WENDE CAROL MS – Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
10. "SHELLY, NICHOLAS ANDREW FEC FORM 2 STATEMENT OF CANDIDACY FILING FEC-1895468".
11. Christenson, Josh (April 30, 2025). "CNN's Scott Jennings mulling major career move —but is awaiting Trump's approval". New York Post . Retrieved May 1, 2025.
12. Horn, Austin (September 22, 2025). "Thomas Massie not ruling out US Senate bid, but bullish on Cameron's odds". Lexington Herald-Leader .
13. Catanese, David (March 21, 2024). "Who would be the front-runner for McConnell's Senate seat in 2026?". McClatchy . Retrieved March 21, 2024. A spokesperson for Comer...relayed that Comer has no interest in running for senate even if McConnell does not seek reelection.
14. Schreiner, Bruce (February 20, 2025). "Sen. Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker". Associated Press . Retrieved February 20, 2025.
15. Horn, Austin; Catanese, David (February 12, 2025). "Andy Barr for Senate? KY Congressman indicates he's ready to run upon McConnell retirement". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved February 12, 2025.
16. Horsley, McKenna (February 20, 2025). "Kentucky's McConnell not seeking reelection to U.S. Senate in 2026". Kentucky Lantern . Retrieved February 24, 2025. Former Kentucky Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer told the Kentucky Lantern that...he does not see himself pursuing a run for the open seat.
17. Kelly, Erin (April 23, 2025). "Rep. Andy Barr touts GOP endorsements, looking to secure Trump's support". Spectrum News . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
18. Horsley, McKenna; Lucke, Jamie (April 23, 2025). "Race is on in KY for U.S. Senate — and Trump's nod — as second Republican announces". Kentucky Lantern . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
19. Pinski, Hannah (April 22, 2025). "Andy Barr starts Senate campaign, announces he will run for Mitch McConnell's seat in 2026". Courier Journal . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
20. Samuels, Brett (July 24, 2025). "Trump ally Banks endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race". The Hill . Retrieved July 24, 2025.
21. Wren, Adam (July 30, 2025). "Bernie Moreno endorses Nate Morris in Kentucky Senate race to replace Mitch McConnell". Politico . Retrieved July 30, 2025.
22. Aulbach, Lucas. "Race to replace Mitch McConnell heats up on stage: 3 takeaways from Fancy Farm 2025". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
23. Stone, Matt (June 30, 2025). "MAGA supporter Charlie Kirk explains why he's backing Nate Morris for US Senate". Courier Journal . Retrieved June 30, 2025.
24. Horn, Austin (September 25, 2025). "Conservative billionaire PAC backs Nate Morris for Senate in TV ad campaign". Lexington Herald-Leader . Archived from the original on September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
25. Renewal, Republicans for National (August 8, 2025). "Republicans for National Renewal Endorses Nate Morris for U.S. Senate in Kentucky". Republicans for National Renewal. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
26. "Senate Conservatives Fund". www.senateconservatives.com. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
27. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/07/30/sen-bernie-moreno-throws-support-behind-nate-morris-in-senate-bid-n2661164#google_vignette
28. "2026 Election United States Senate – Kentucky". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission . Retrieved April 23, 2025.
29. Mueller, Eleanor (September 6, 2025). "New poll reveals Kentucky's shifting Senate race". SEMAFOR. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
30. McLaughlin, John (April 21, 2025). "Kentucky Statewide – Republican Primary for U.S. Senate" (PDF). Cameron for Kentucky. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
31. Weigel, David (March 3, 2025). "McConnell protégé Cameron leads in early Kentucky Senate primary poll". Semafor. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
32. Horn, Austin (February 11, 2025). "Is Daniel Cameron running for Senate? Former KY AG says he 'would be honored to serve'". Lexington Herald Leader . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
33. Horn, Austin (February 11, 2025). "Is Daniel Cameron running for Senate? Former KY AG says he 'would be honored to serve'". Lexington Herald Leader . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
34. Kim-Martinez, Isaiah (September 16, 2025). "Former Secret Service agent announces run for McConnell's U.S. Senate seat". WHAS-TV . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
35. Anderson, Mario (February 10, 2025). "In Focus: House Minority Leader Pamela Stevenson talks 2025 legislative priorities in Kentucky General Assembly". Spectrum News . Retrieved February 12, 2025. Stevenson also confirmed during this interview that she is running in the Democratic primary for Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat in 2026.
36. Gedeon, Joseph (September 17, 2025). "Ex-CIA officer stripped of clearance 'determined to run' for Mitch McConnell's seat". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved September 17, 2025.
37. "RANDALL, JARED – Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
38. Horn, Austin (September 24, 2025). "Amy McGrath comeback? Former KY Senate candidate said to be considering 2026 run". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved September 24, 2025.
39. Horn, Austin (September 17, 2025). "KY Politics Insider: Is Cameron leaving US Senate race? Fake news, his camp says". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved September 24, 2025.
40. Horn, Austin (September 4, 2025). "Sen. Andy Beshear? Thanks, but no thanks, he says to prominent Dem supporters". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved September 4, 2025.
41. Barrett, Alexis (February 20, 2025). "Daniel Cameron, Pam Stevenson announce 2026 Senate bids". Marshall County Tribune-Courier. Retrieved February 20, 2025. JT Henderson, a representative for Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, said that Coleman is 'not interested' in running.
42. "DUNCAN, SCOTT MICHEAL – Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
43. "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
44. "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
45. "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
46. "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Andy Barr (R) for Senate
• Daniel Cameron (R) for Senate
• Michael Faris (R) for Senate
• Logan Forsythe (D) for Senate
• Nate Morris (R) for Senate
• Pamela Stevenson (D) for Senate
• Joel Willett (D) for Senate