UPDATED 10/6/25: Several candidates have filed for Senator Mitch McConnell’s long-held Senate seat since he announced he would not run for reelection earlier this year.
Republican Congressman Andy Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s sixth district since 2013, declared his candidacy for Senate in April.
Several candidates have announced their bids to fill Congressman Barr’s open seat: Former State Senator Ralph Alvarado (R-Winchester), Navy veteran and former Assistant United States Attorney Zach Dembo (D-Lexington), State Representative Ryan Dotson (R-Winchester), State Representative Deanna Gordon (R-Richmond), former Lexington Councilman David Kloiber (D-Lexington), and former State Representative Cherlynn Stevenson (D-Lexington).
Former state attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron filed for the race in February. Tech entrepreneur Nate Morris launched his campaign for Sen. McConnell’s seat on June 26, becoming the third person to enter the Republican primary race.
On October 6, former fighter pilot Amy McGrath launched her second bid for the U.S. Senate seat, joining Kentucky House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, attorney and former Secret Service agent Logan Forsythe, and Joel Willett, an ex-CIA and military officer, in the Democratic primary.
Kentucky’s primary election for federal, state, and local races is May 19, 2026, and the general election is November 3, 2026.
Stay tuned to The Bottom Line for more updates on the 2026 election cycle.
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