Kentucky voters will head to the polls on November 3, 2026, to elect a new U.S. senator in an open race following Mitch McConnell’s (CORRCT!) decision not to seek an eighth term. McConnell, who has held the seat since January 3, 1985, announced his retirement on February 20, 2025, marking the first open contest for this Senate position in over 50 years. The election comes as Republicans aim to maintain their stronghold in a state where no Democrat has won a Senate race since 1992.
The Republican primary has emerged as the focal point, with multiple candidates positioning themselves as strong advocates for conservative priorities, including border security, economic growth, and support for former President Donald Trump’s agenda. Daniel Cameron, who served as Kentucky’s attorney general from 2019 to 2023, entered the race on February 20, 2025, hours after McConnell’s announcement. Cameron, who lost the 2023 gubernatorial election to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear by 5 percentage points, has emphasized his experience in law enforcement and his ties to national Republican figures.
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, representing Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013, joined the fray on April 22, 2025. Barr has highlighted his work on financial services and foreign policy in Congress, pledging to advance an America First platform. Businessman Nate Morris, founder of a waste management company, declared his candidacy on June 26, 2025, focusing on his entrepreneurial background and commitment to job creation. Michael Faris, owner of a helicopter maintenance business in Elizabethtown, has also entered the Republican field, presenting himself as an outsider free from establishment connections.
On the Democratic side, state Rep. Pamela Stevenson, who has served in the Kentucky House since 2021 and became minority leader in 2025, launched her campaign on March 31, 2025. Stevenson, a retired Air Force colonel and 2023 nominee for attorney general, has campaigned on issues like healthcare access and veterans’ rights.
Other potential Democratic contenders, including former U.S. Senate nominee Amy McGrath and senior advisor to Gov. Beshear Rocky Adkins, have not declared as of August 11, 2025. Gov. Beshear himself confirmed he will not run, opting to complete his term ending in 2027.
Recent developments have intensified the Republican contest. At the annual Fancy Farm picnic on August 2, 2025, Cameron, Barr, and Morris clashed over their political records, loyalty to Trump, and McConnell’s legacy, with some candidates criticizing the retiring senator’s approach to bipartisanship. Morris secured an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana on July 24, 2025, bolstering his outsider appeal. Earlier, on July 8, 2025, Morris’s campaign announced a seven-figure advertising blitz across all Kentucky media markets, including TV, digital, and direct mail, aimed at introducing him to voters statewide.
Polling remains limited this early in the cycle. A survey of 500 likely Republican primary voters released on April 21, 2025, showed Cameron leading Barr and Morris by a wide margin, reflecting his higher name recognition from the 2023 gubernatorial run.
No general election polls have been publicly released as of August 11, 2025.The race is rated as solidly Republican by major analysts, given Kentucky’s political landscape. Republicans hold both Senate seats, five of six U.S. House seats, and supermajorities in the state legislature. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump carried Kentucky with 62.1% of the vote, continuing a streak of Republican wins in federal races. The last Democratic Senate victory came in 1992 with Wendell Ford. While Democrats have succeeded in recent gubernatorial elections—Beshear won in 2019 and 2023—the Senate map favors Republicans, who control 22 of the 35 seats up nationwide in 2026.
Filing deadlines for candidates are set for January 2026, with primaries scheduled for May 19, 2026. The winner will take office on January 3, 2027, inheriting a seat long defined by McConnell’s influence on judicial appointments and fiscal policy. As the field solidifies, the primary could become one of the most expensive in the cycle, with fundraising reports showing Cameron raising over $2 million by June 30, 2025, followed closely by Barr and Morris.