Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell is becoming a test of the Republican Party’s transformation under President Donald Trump. Rep.
US agents arrest tourist after video shows a rock hurled at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal's headEmails show FBI Director Kash Patel's Hawaii trip included 'VIP snorkel' at a Pearl Harbor memorialScottie Scheffler part of 7-way tie for the lead at PGA ChampionshipBeyoncé, Taylor Swift, Chaka Khan and Vince Gill enter National Recording RegistryNASA's Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to a rare metal asteroidHot dogs and steaks and bacon, oh my!
Meat raffles keep a beloved Midwest tradition aliveNipper, stay! The future of a beloved dog statue on a New York warehouse is up in the airPCOS is now called PMOS.
What the name change means for careA photo captures President Trump and first lady awaiting British royals from rare White House angleThe World in PicturesDisease outbreak cuts Wyoming, Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction eraOfficials say $1.3 billion in Medicaid money to California will be deferred over suspicions of fraudBy changing women's lives, the pill changed the nationMicrogardening means getting a surprisingly big harvest from a windowsill or balcony gardenUnderwater memorial to wrecked slave ship draws pilgrims seeking to connect with their rootsEjército de EEUU dice que interceptó ataque iraní contra buques de la Armada en el estrecho de OrmuzTrump's talk of 51st US state met with near-silence in Venezuela
Meat raffles keep a beloved Midwest tradition aliveNipper, stay! The future of a beloved dog statue on a New York warehouse is up in the airPCOS is now called PMOS.
What the name change means for careA photo captures President Trump and first lady awaiting British royals from rare White House angleThe World in PicturesDisease outbreak cuts Wyoming, Yellowstone wolf numbers to lowest level since reintroduction eraOfficials say $1.3 billion in Medicaid money to California will be deferred over suspicions of fraudBy changing women's lives, the pill changed the nationMicrogardening means getting a surprisingly big harvest from a windowsill or balcony gardenUnderwater memorial to wrecked slave ship draws pilgrims seeking to connect with their rootsEjército de EEUU dice que interceptó ataque iraní contra buques de la Armada en el estrecho de Ormuz | Rep.
Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Former Kentucky Attorney General and candidate for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron speaks on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky.
Republican Kentucky candidates for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron and Andy Barr shake hands during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Guests look on as candidates speak on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Rep.
Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, a Trump-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks to guests of the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky.
Former Kentucky Attorney General and candidate for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron speaks on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Former Kentucky Attorney General and candidate for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron speaks on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky.
Republican Kentucky candidates for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron and Andy Barr shake hands during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Republican Kentucky candidates for U.S. Senate Daniel Cameron and Andy Barr shake hands during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky.
Guests look on as candidates speak on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. Guests look on as candidates speak on stage during the Kenton County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Covington, Ky. LEXINGTON, Ky. — U.S. Sen.
Mitch McConnell is considered such a titan in his home state that Kentucky lawmakers voted to put a statue of him alongside Abraham Lincoln in the Capitol. Afteras a child, McConnell rose to become the longest-serving Senate leader in history and helped secure a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. Rep.
Andy Barr and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who are competing for the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary, have carefully calibrated their distance from the man they once described as a mentor. It marks the closing stages of a generational shift among Republicans, with old guard figures like McConnell stepping off the political stage as President Donald Trump works to finalize his makeover of the party.
Although there’s widespread acknowledgment that McConnell is no longer in sync with today’s “Make America Great Again” politics, the 84-year-old nonetheless maintains deep influence and a loyal following in Kentucky. The candidates are walking a “razor’s edge” between an establishment that’s still loyal to the senator and “voters’ unhappiness with Mitch McConnell’s old-school Reagan-Bush era Republicans,” said Stephen Voss, a political scientist at the University of Kentucky.
McConnell broke with the president after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying he played a role in instigating the riot. More recently, he hasMany of Kentucky’s Republican politicians credit McConnell with, in one way or another, playing a role in their careers. They will mention the over $65 billion that the senator’s office said he’s brought back to his home state, or his work establishing Republicans’ dominance in the state.
So it didn’t sit well with some Republicans when Nate Morris, a third candidate in the Senate primary, ran an advertisement showing a cardboard cutout of McConnell in the trash. Morris dubbed Barr and Cameron as “McConnell’s boys. ” Being seen as out of step with Trump can be radioactive with Republican primary voters. But it landed flat for Shawnee State University student Landon Shaw, 21.
It appears to have fallen short for others, too. Morris lagged behind Cameron and Barr, despite $10 million in financial support from Elon Musk. Two weeks ago, Trump offered him a yet-unspecified ambassadorship and Morris dropped out of the race. Despite some goodwill toward McConnell, many Republicans are ready for a change.
“He did a great service for the United States, for Kentucky, but times are changing and we need to finally move on and thank him for his service,” said Tony Quillen, 61, the property valuation administrator in Greenup County.for opposing Hegseth, Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence in a video posted to social media that effectively launched his campaign. He struck a different note as he sat in an emptying banquet hall after a recent Lincoln Day Dinner in Covington, Kentucky.
“If you talk to people, they acknowledge this is a change election and are ready for someone else to serve in that seat,” Cameron said, “but they also don’t want you to kick a man when he’s on the way out. Call it the kindness or courteous nature of Kentuckians.
” Barr, who once interned under McConnell, has suggested he wants a tent that includes McConnell-type Republicans, but he has a standard line on the campaign trail when talking about the senator.
“People have asked me,” Barr told voters at a recent event at a public library, “are you a Mitch McConnell Republican or are you a Rand Paul Republican? ” referring to the state’s other senator.at the beginning of the month. A campaign consultant for Cameron fired back with a statement reminding voters of Barr’s association with the senator.
Still, in one of their final forums before Tuesday’s primary, both Cameron and Barr were complimentary toward McConnell, according to a report from “A lot of dollars in resources have been secured here because of Sen. McConnell and we need somebody in Washington that’s going to maintain the responsibility,” Cameron said. Barr referred to the elevation of the state under McConnell’s leadership.
“It’s really important that Kentucky continues to do as Sen. McConnell said, to punch above its weight,” he said, adding that he was his “own man. ” Voss, the professor of politics, said the senator’s team knows the candidates have to walk a fine line.
“McConnell’s people are realistic enough to understand that the candidates need to distance themselves from McConnell,” he said, “but that’s different than openly disrespecting or attacking him. ”
Please follow us on Google to support us Kentucky Andy Barr Donald Trump Pete Hegseth Daniel Cameron U.S. Republican Party General News KY State Wire 2026 Elections Senate Elections Washington News Tony Quillen John F. Kennedy Elections Nate Morris Government And Politics Stephen Voss Voting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Elon Musk Tulsi Gabbard Ronald Reagan George W. Bush Abraham Lincoln Politics Washington News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump, 79, Demands Staffer Be Fired for Making Senator, 84, Look OldMitch McConnell tried to leave a Senate hearing early before the aide swooped.
Read more »
Republican resistance to Iran war grows in the Senate as Murkowski flipsSenate Republicans have again blocked Democratic legislation that would halt President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.
Read more »
Republican resistance to Iran war grows in the Senate as Murkowski flipsSenate Republicans have again blocked Democratic legislation that would halt President Trump’s war with Iran.
Read more »
Republican resistance to Iran war grows in the Senate as Murkowski flipsRepublican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February.
Read more »