Kentucky US Senate candidates: Who is running in 2026?
Several candidates are vying for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s seat in 2026. Here’s the rundown on the candidates looking to become Kentucky’s next U.S. Senator.
Amy McGrath is returning to Kentucky politics.
McGrath announced Oct. 6 she’s running to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2026 Senate race. She joins three high-profile Democratic candidates in the May primary election, including state House Rep. Pamela Stevenson, attorney Logan Forsythe and former CIA officer Joel Willett.
This isn’t McGrath’s first congressional race. McGrath ran against McConnell in 2020, bringing in record funding to her campaign, though she lost in the general election.
In 2018, McGrath also lost to Republican Rep. Andy Barr in the race for Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District in a year that was predicted to be a Democratic blue wave.
In her 2026 campaign launch video, McGrath touted her background as a former Marine pilot and the first woman to fly a combat mission for the U.S. Marine Corps.
“I know what courage looks like,” McGrath said. “Right now, way too many politicians don’t, and Americans are being thrown under the bus by cowards in Washington without the moral backbone to serve our nation with honor.”
McGrath also emphasized Kentuckians deserve a senator who acts with “decency and patriotism.”
When she ran against McConnell in 2020, McGrath had called for congressional term limits and supported police reform efforts, including the expanded use of body cameras, and lowering drug prices.
McGrath had raised significant money in that race. She brought in $2.5 million in the first 24 hours after she launched her campaign and brought in around $90 million by the end of the race.
During her 2020 campaign, she courted voters who were fans of President Donald Trump but not McConnell, a tactic that attracted skepticism. But she also made it clear she would not be voting for Trump in that year’s presidential race.
McGrath also supported universal health care and said while the government shouldn’t the deciding factor in abortion, she saw some restrictions as reasonable.
She also focused on health care as a priority when she ran against Barr in 2018, saying that instead of repealing the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers should work to make changes to the law.
Barr is running in the Republican primary for the 2026 Senate race. His campaign spokesperson Alex Bellizzi said in a statement that Barr and Trump “beat Amy McGrath once, and they’ll do it again.”
“Together, they defeated her in what was once a battleground district, despite her millions from coastal elites and endless airtime from liberal media,” Bellizzi said. “We can’t wait for another big, beautiful MAGA rally when Andy’s the GOP nominee to make sure Amy McGrath is never a U.S. senator.”
This story could be updated.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X at @hannahpinski. Sign up for the On Kentucky Politics newsletter.
