Politics
MAGA Congressman Set To Launch Bid To Replace Mitch McConnell
A serious MAGA contender to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is close to throwing his hat into the ring, and Trump supporters are crowing about the possibility of one within their ranks succeeding the Trump-antagonizing former majority leader.
While the 2026 race for Kentucky’s next U.S. senator is not expected to decide control of the chamber, it will no doubt be a totemic battle for the heart and soul of the GOP, pitting populist, pro-Trump names against an establishment-minded alternative. McConnell, who announced earlier this year that he does not plan to seek reelection, has not said if he will offer his endorsement in the Republican primary.
Warm words from the former GOP leader may be moot anyway, given the powerhouse congressman who is indicating he is about to jump into the contest. With a gargantuan $5.4 million cash on hand, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) will immediately become the frontrunner to take McConnell’s place.
Two sources who spoke with Politico said they each received an invitation from Barr to attend a “special campaign announcement” on Tuesday night in Richmond.
Serving since 2012, the MAGA lawmaker is now a senior member on the powerful House Financial Services Committee and a prolific campaigner in his own right. He reported raising $1.2 million in the last quarter, a sizable sum for a state where airtime is cheap.
Barr will have to contend with a primary challenge by former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is seen locally as McConnell’s heir apparent and preferred successor. The former prosecutor launched his own campaign in February, but he is less formidable since losing a previous run for governor, and he raised just $508,000 in the past quarter.
A Senate run will be Barr’s first statewide campaign, testing his ability to knit together a coalition of conservatives content with his style of leadership and policy preferences. He will also need to mend fences in the MAGA space: In February, the anti-tax group Club for Growth released an ad attacking Barr for being too close to “woke Wall Street banks.”
It’s no secret that President Donald Trump can’t wait to see McConnell exit Washington, D.C. after nearly 50 years in the Senate. He hasn’t weighed in on Kentucky’s race yet but didn’t shy away from teasing his support for Barr during an Oval Office event in February.
“Good luck with everything, I hear good things,” Trump told the lawmaker while in attendance for the signing of an executive order boosting the country’s coal industry.
“What a privilege it would be” to serve the entire state of Kentucky, Rep. Barr told radio station WHAS shortly after the signing. “I’ve been getting a lot of green lights, and I’ll be making an announcement soon,” he added.
The seat is rated a safe Republican hold by most political handicappers, and Republicans are heavily favored to retain the majority in 2026. Some of the banner races will occur in swing states like Maine and Georgia, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have drawn challengers that will force them to wage bitter reelection campaigns.
