Kentucky Rep. Charles Booker is taking a step toward a second U.S. Senate run, announcing he's launched an exploratory committee.
After coming closer than expected to winning Democratic primary race in 2020 against McConnell challenger Amy McGrath, Booker now has his eye on the seat currently occupied by Republican Sen. Rand Paul. In a video posted to social media, the avowed progressive said current events have shown how fast the landscape can change.
"We've seen how quickly a new reality can unfold," Booker says.
In 2020, the Louisville Democrat told WHAS he believes his message holds statewide appeal.
"The reason that I feel so serious about this work at a statewide level, with my work with Hood to the Holler and even evaluating the Senate run, is the challenges that we see in my community in the West End, in Louisville as a whole, they speak to the structural challenges that we face," he told the station.
But the electoral outlook for the eventual Democratic Senate nominee is an especially daunting one in 2022, with both a top-name Republican on the ballot and an abortion amendment that could mean even stronger turnout among GOP voters.
In response to Booker's announcement, a spokesperson for Sen. Paul told the Associated Press the incumbent is a "champion" for the values Kentuckians hold dear.