RICHMOND, Ky. — Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, has officially launched his bid for U.S. Senate in 2026.
Barr made the announcement on X Tuesday afternoon.
“Kentuckians want a Senator who will stand strong with President [Donald] Trump. I will be the President’s strongest advocate in the U.S. Senate and work every day to get our America First agenda passed,” said Barr in a statement following his announcement. “I have proven I know how to win the tough fights and get our conservative agenda across the finish line. I look forward to sharing my successful record of delivering for Kentucky and laying out our vision for what more we can do.”
Barr kicked off his campaign Tuesday night in Richmond surrounded by family and supporters. He said he'll fight to support President Donald Trump's efforts of barring transgender women from women's sports, slashing so-called "wasteful government spending" and securing the nation's southern border.
"We must deport every illegal criminal, drug dealer and gang member that [former President] Joe Biden let into our country," Barr said. "Our message to every single illegal is simple: deport yourself or we will."
Longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell announced in February he wouldn’t seek an eighth term next year. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends.
McConnell said he would not endorse any candidate in the race. Barr said he's his own person.
"My policies are the policies that my constituents care about," Barr said. "The truth is, my constituents voted overwhelmingly for this president and his agenda, and that's why I will support it in the Senate."
Barr’s decision ensures that Republicans will have a robust 2026 Senate primary, but it also creates what Democrats see as a potential pickup opportunity in the Lexington-area House district, where a strong candidate could give them an outside chance in the midterm election.
In 2024, Barr won reelection to Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District by 26%, defeating defeats Democratic challenger Randy Cravens. The district covers a portion of central and east central Kentucky. He has held the seat since 2013.
Barr sits on the House Financial Services Committee and serves as chairman of the Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee, which has oversight over the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He is also in his second term on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Barr graduated from Lexington’s Henry Clay High School in 1992 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of Virginia in 1996. He earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky in 2001.
Barr and his wife, Davis, have three children and live in Lexington.
Barr joins former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the race for the Senate seat, which has been held by McConnell for 40 years. Republican businessman Nate Morris also has signaled a strong interest in running, portraying himself as a political outsider.
The Cameron campaign said Barr is "rebranding" and is no conservative, saying he voted with former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi more than 12,000 times.
“The great Andy Barr re-brand is on as he now will try and convince Kentucky he’s actually conservative and MAGA," the Cameron Campaign said in a statement to Spectrum News 1. "He’s not. Voters know he went Washington and sold out Kentucky long ago. Barr sold us out for millions in payoffs from big banks, he sold out President Trump when the going got tough and he sold out to liberals by voting with Nancy Pelosi over 1,200 times. There’s not enough money in the world to cover that record.
"Kentucky deserves real America First leadership, not a Liberal sell out - that’s why Daniel Cameron is up 44-18 in the latest poll.”
All three have distanced themselves from McConnell while jockeying for Trump’s endorsement, seen as potentially decisive.
“It will be a competitive primary,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican political strategist. “Of course, the 500-pound gorilla is President Donald Trump. If he decides he prefers one of these candidates — or someone else — he can end the primary at a moment’s notice by endorsing that person.”
Barr said via in response to emailed questions that he supports Trump’s immigration and tariff policies. He said the president “is right to negotiate better, more reciprocal, trade deals to secure the resiliency of our supply chains and stop unfair practices that harm American workers and businesses.”
“To my critics who by the way also criticized President Trump, let me be clear; you cannot intimidate me, your false attacks will fail, I will not back down," Barr said.
The president’s tariff plan has drawn criticism from several sources, including Republicans like McConnell and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
On the Democratic side, State Rep. Pamela Stevenson of Louisville is also running for Senate. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits, has ruled out a Senate bid as speculation continues to build over whether he may run for president in 2028.
A potential wild card for the Senate race is Beshear’s senior adviser, Democrat Rocky Adkins, a longtime state lawmaker with deep political connections.
The last Democrat to win a Senate race in Kentucky was Wendell Ford in 1992.
In the GOP primary, Cameron has the edge in name recognition, having run twice for statewide office: He was elected attorney general in 2019 and lost the governor’s race to Beshear in 2023.
His campaign said in a statement Tuesday that Cameron is the “tried-and-true Trump conservative.”
“Daniel Cameron has earned the respect of Republican primary voters by fighting as Attorney General for conservative values alongside President Trump.”
Barr is making his first bid for statewide office, but his reputation as a formidable fundraiser will enable him to elevate his profile outside his congressional district.
Democrats have signaled that they plan to target Barr’s district along with a few dozen others nationwide in trying to win back the House next year. Republicans scoff at Democratic hopes of flipping Barr’s district, which seemed more GOP-friendly after the last round of redistricting.
Kentuckians interested in running for the seat have until next January to file.