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2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky
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| This article documents a current primary. Information may change rapidly as the primary progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Please feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page. (May 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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| November 3, 2026 | ||||||||
| Nominee |
Andy Barr
Charles Booker
Party
Republican
Democratic | | | | Andy Barr | Charles Booker | | Republican | Democratic | | | | | | | | | | | | Andy Barr | Charles Booker | | | | | | | | | Republican | Democratic | | | | | | | | | Incumbent U.S. senator Mitch McConnell Republican | Incumbent U.S. senator Mitch McConnell Republican | | | | | | | | | 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. Republican congressman Andy Barr and Democratic former state representative Charles Booker are the nominees for their respective parties. Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell is not seeking an eighth term. This will be the first open Senate election in Kentucky since 2010.
Primary elections were held on May 19, 2026. Endorsed by President Donald Trump, Barr won the Republican nomination with 60.5% of the vote over former state attorney general Daniel Cameron. Booker, who was previously nominated in the 2022 Senate race, won the Democratic nomination with 47% of the vote over Marine veteran Amy McGrath and state House minority leader Pamela Stevenson. Democrats have not won a Senate race in Kentucky since 1992.
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. Democrats control both the governorship and lieutenant-governorship, which flipped from Republican control in 2019.
McConnell was first elected in 1984, defeating then-incumbent Walter Dee Huddleston, and was re-elected in six subsequent elections.
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Andy Barr, U.S. representative from Kentucky's 6th congressional district (2013–present)
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Daniel Cameron, former Kentucky attorney general (2019–2024) and nominee for governor in 2023
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Anissa Catlett, sourcing supply chain manager
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James D. Duncan, professional farrier
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Michael Faris, helicopter maintenance business owner
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Valerie Fredrick, medical doctor, farmer and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
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Jonathan M. Holliday, veteran and former Lexington police officer
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Jimmy I. Leon, veteran and educator
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Andrew "Nick" Shelley, volunteer firefighter
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George Washington, filmmaker (no relation to President George Washington)
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Donald Wenzel, businessman
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Nate Morris, business conglomerate owner (endorsed Barr)
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James Comer, U.S. representative for Kentucky's 1st congressional district (2016–present) (running for re-election)
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Mitch McConnell, incumbent U.S. senator (1985–present)
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David Osborne, speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives (2018–present) from the 59th district (2005–present)
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Damon Thayer, former state senator from the 17th district (2003–2025)
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Thomas Massie, U.S. representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district (2012–present) (running for re-election)
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
| Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Barr (R) | $7,968,106 | $7,486,809 | $4,174,374 |
| Daniel Cameron (R) | $2,060,372 | $1,295,627 | $764,745 |
| Michael Faris (R) | $61,529 | $78,371 | $0 |
| Nate Morris (R) | $7,028,611 | $6,448,016 | $580,594 |
| Donald Wenzel (R) | $2,431 | $2,431 | $0 |
Aggregate polls
| Source of pollaggregation | Datesadministered | Datesupdated | AndyBarr | DanielCameron | NateMorris | Other/Undecided | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decision Desk HQ | through May 11, 2026 | May 17, 2026 | 37.1% | 27.3% | 10.1% | 25.5% | Barr +9.8% |
| Race to the WH | through May 11, 2026 | May 17, 2026 | 38.1% | 24.2% | 10.4% | 27.3% | Barr +13.9% |
| FiftyPlusOne | through May 11, 2026 | May 17, 2026 | 44.1% | 25.4% | 8.6% | 21.9% | Barr +18.7% |
| Aggregate | 39.8% | 25.6% | 9.7% | 24.9% | Barr +14.2% |
| Poll source | Date(s)administered | Samplesize | Marginof error | AndyBarr | DanielCameron | NateMorris | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UpONE Insights (R) | May 9–11, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 46% | 27% | 8% | 3% | 16% |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R) | May 3–5, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 24% | 9% | 5% | 19% |
| May 1, 2026 | Trump endorses Barr, Morris withdraws from the race and endorses Barr | |||||||
| UpONE Insights (R) | April 2026 | – (LV) | – | 33% | 32% | 13% | 5% | 17% |
| Emerson College | March 29–31, 2026 | 549 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 28% | 21% | 15% | 6% | 29% |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R) | March 10–12, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 31% | 13% | – | 27% |
| UpONE Insights (R) | March 2026 | – (LV) | – | 26% | 42% | 12% | – | 20% |
| Quantus Insights (R) | February 4, 2026 | 870 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 28% | 27% | 17% | 9% | 19% |
| Emerson College | January 31 – February 2, 2026 | 523 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 24% | 21% | 14% | 4% | 37% |
| UpONE Insights (R) | February 2026 | – (LV) | – | 29% | 33% | 12% | – | 26% |
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) | January 27–29, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 21% | 29% | 18% | – | 32% |
| OnMessage Inc. (R) | January 5–8, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 25% | 40% | 13% | – | 22% |
| UpONE Insights (R) | January 2026 | – (LV) | – | 27% | 42% | 11% | – | 20% |
| UpOne Insights (R) | October 13–14, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 25% | 42% | 10% | – | 23% |
| co/efficient (R) | October 8–10, 2025 | 911 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 22% | 39% | 8% | 4% | 27% |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R) | September 2–4, 2025 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 29% | 37% | 8% | – | 26% |
| Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) | August 2025 | – (V) | – | 17% | 40% | 5% | – | 38% |
| UpOne Insights (R) | August 2025 | – (V) | – | 19% | 39% | 10% | – | 32% |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R) | April 13–15, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 18% | 44% | 2% | – | 36% |
| UpONE Insights (R) | March 2025 | – (LV) | – | 21% | 51% | 3% | – | 25% |
| co/efficient (R) | February 25–26, 2025 | 1,134 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 18% | 39% | 3% | 11% | 31% |
| UpOne Insights (R) | Mid–February 2025 | – (V) | – | 19% | 47% | 3% | – | 31% |
| co/efficient (R) | December 2–3, 2024 | 1,298 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 12% | 37% | 1% | 14% | 36% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 283,703 | 60.5 | |
| Republican | 144,548 | 30.8 | |
| Republican | 11,213 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | 7,186 | 1.5 | |
| Republican | 5,265 | 1.1 | |
| Republican | 4,891 | 1.0 | |
| Republican | 3,769 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | 3,754 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | 2,771 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | 1,012 | 0.2 | |
| Republican | 863 | 0.2 | |
| 468,975 | 100.0 |
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Charles Booker, former state representative (2019–2021), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 and candidate in 2020
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Joshua Blanton Sr., U.S. Army veteran
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Logan Forsythe, attorney
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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
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Dale Romans, horse trainer
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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
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Vincent Thompson, farmer
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Joel Willett, defense contractor
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Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky (2019–present)
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Jacqueline Coleman, lieutenant governor of Kentucky (2019–present) (running for governor in 2027)
| Campaign finance reports as of March 30, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Booker (D) | $368,365 | $170,265 | $198,100 |
| Logan Forsythe (D) | $46,938 | $43,805 | $3,133 |
| Amy McGrath (D) | $1,942,704 | $1,631,150 | $311,554 |
| Dale Romans (D) | $821,111 | $380,233 | $440,878 |
| Pamela Stevenson (D) | $266,963 | $242,099 | $24,864 |
| Joel Willett (D) | $350,036 | $321,249 | $28,787 |
Aggregate polls
Unofficial results by county .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Booker 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% McGrath 30–40% 40–50% 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 155,487 | 46.8 | |
| Democratic | 119,234 | 35.9 | |
| Democratic | 20,600 | 6.2 | |
| Democratic | 13,692 | 4.1 | |
| Democratic | 9,643 | 2.9 | |
| Democratic | 6,955 | 2.1 | |
| Democratic | 6,940 | 2.1 | |
| 332,551 | 100.0 |
- Scott Duncan
- Christopher Todd Campbell
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections | Solid R | January 12, 2026 |
| The Cook Political Report | Solid R | January 12, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe R | January 29, 2026 |
| Race To The WH | Safe R | February 2, 2026 |
Andy Barr vs. Charles Booker
| Poll source | Date(s)administered | Samplesize | Marginof error | AndyBarr (R) | CharlesBooker (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D) | December 18–19, 2025 | 650 (V) | – | 49% | 38% | 13% |
Partisan clients
Official campaign websites
- Andy Barr (R)
- Charles Booker (D)
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