JUST IN: Top Contenders To Replace Mitch McConnell Emerge

On Thursday, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, announced that he will retire at the end of his current term, which expires in January 2027. His decision marks the end of a 40+ year career in the Senate and a public service tenure dating back to 1968.

McConnell’s legacy includes a significant influence on the federal judiciary, having played a key role in confirming six of the nine current Supreme Court justices and numerous federal judges under Republican administrations. However, his standing within the GOP has weakened, particularly with the rise of the MAGA movement, which has been critical of his leadership.

McConnell’s health had been a concern in recent years, with multiple public medical incidents, including falls and mid-speech pauses. His relationship with President Donald Trump remained strained, with Trump often criticizing him despite McConnell’s long tenure leading Senate Republicans.

Now, his retirement gives Kentucky Republicans nearly two years to field a successor.

Daniel Cameron, the former Kentucky Attorney General and 2023 Republican gubernatorial candidate, has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Cameron’s announcement came right after Sen. McConnell confirmed his retirement, signaling his bid to maintain Republican leadership in Kentucky.

“Kentucky, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate,” Cameron said on social media. “Let’s do this.”

Kentucky, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/YRXAm4Busv

— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) February 20, 2025

Concerns are now mounting among some Republicans that Kentucky’s well-liked Democratic Governor, Andy Beshear, might make a late entry into the Senate race. In the meantime, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) has seized on Beshear’s 2023 defeat of Daniel Cameron, labeling his Senate opponent as a “proven loser.”

However, Barr himself is not without criticism. The conservative Club for Growth is targeting him with advertisements criticizing his privileged upbringing, asserting that he was raised with a “silver spoon” and “hasn’t earned” his chance at the Senate.

Shortly after Cameron announced his candidacy for the Senate seat vacated by McConnell, questions about his electability surfaced, voiced by a potential GOP rival.

“When President Trump and Andy Barr teamed up in his 2018 election, they won Kentucky’s toughest Congressional race against Amy McGrath and the Trump resistance,” said Tyler Staker, spokesperson for Rep. Barr in an exclusive statement to Fox News.

“When President Trump endorsed Daniel Cameron for Governor, Daniel embarrassed the President and our party by losing in a state that President Trump won by over 30 points—including losing Andy Barr’s district by 19 points. We need proven winners, not folks who can’t win even with the support of the greatest President we’ve ever seen,” Staker added.

Brandon Moody, the strategist for Cameron’s Senate campaign, responded to the critiques in a statement to Fox News, saying, “Daniel Cameron is up 30 points on Andy Barr in the latest statewide public polling. So Andy is a little confused about electability. Probably too much wine last night from his hundredth lobbyist dinner of the month.”

Candidates are distancing themselves from McConnell, whose strained relations with President Donald Trump have isolated him in party primaries, despite his success in turning Kentucky red.

Nate Morris, a businessman branding himself as a Republican outsider, is also contemplating a Senate bid in 2026 or a gubernatorial run in 2027. Following McConnell’s announcement, Morris criticized both Barr and Cameron in a statement to Semafor.

“Mitch McConnell stuck his thumb in the eye of President Trump with the votes against his nominees, and none of the career politicians looking at this race were courageous enough to call him out for his betrayal,” said Morris.

“That’s why I’m seriously considering running for office,” he added. “The last thing Kentucky needs is to elect a puppet of Mitch McConnell to the US Senate.”