Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) is expected to announce a campaign for U.S. Senate to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell.

The election to replace McConnell will likely have a crowded field, which includes former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and state House Democratic Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson.

From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

The Herald-Leader reported in February that Barr told donors and other Kentucky Republicans of his intentions to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, and the congressman’s team has not previously denied claims that he’s been eyeing a run.

McConnell announced in February that he would not seek reelection in 2026. Cameron launched his campaign the same day.

Barr has served the Central Kentucky-based 6th Congressional District for more than a decade since he knocked off former Democratic congressman Ben Chandler in 2012. The congressman won a close race against well-funded challenger in Amy McGrath in 2018 and has won in landslide fashion ever since.

ADVERTISEMENT

Barr’s time in Congress has been marked by a focus on his work on the House Financial Services Committee. He vied for the chairmanship of that committee — a potentially precarious role give the GOP’s thin 220-213 majority — but fell short to Arkansas Rep. French Hill. Some read that as a sign that Barr would leave the U.S. House to seek a six-year term in the Senate.

From POLITICO:

First elected in 2012 to a Lexington-based seat, Barr will enter a contested primary to succeed the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who announced his campaign in February, had been viewed by many as the heir apparent to McConnell, before a failed bid for governor dented his reputation.

Barr, too, is already facing some challenges in the state. The anti-tax group Club for Growth released a TV ad in February attacking Barr for his vote to raise the debt ceiling and casting him as working on behalf of “woke Wall Street” banks.

Barr won a challenging campaign against former Marine Corps pilot Amy McGrath in 2018, solidifying his control over his central Kentucky seat. A Senate run will mark his first statewide campaign, testing whether his appeal stretches to some of the more conservative areas in the eastern and western parts of the state.

Barr raised $1.8 million in the first three months of the year, according to financial disclosures filed this week, and ended the quarter with $5.3 million in the bank. Cameron raised $508,000.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.