2026 Kentucky US Senate Race

In this post-primary edition of WUKY's Capitol Chat, Kentucky Gazette editor and publisher Laura Cullen Glasscock offers her take on the Kentucky US Senate race, which will now pit Democrat Charles Booker against Republican Andy Barr and the Sixth Congressional District matchup between Republican Ralph Alvarado and former federal prosecutor Democrat Zach Dembo.

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. After overcoming polio as 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. But anyone listening for flowery tributes to McConnell won't hear them on the campaign trail as his party looks for a successor to the retiring senator.

On the eve of Kentucky's most famous annual race, President Donald Trump endorsed Congressman Andy Barr and not former Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron in the GOP primary contest to succeed Mitch McConnell. Businessman Nate Morris also bowed out of the race. Kentucky Gazette editor and publisher Laura Cullen Glasscock offers her take on what the Trump endorsement really signifies for an increasingly unpopular Republican administration.

This week on WUKY's Capitol Chat Kentucky Gazette editor and publisher Laura Cullen Glasscock has the details on several groups buying up airtime on behalf of GOP senatorial candidates Andy Barr, Daniel Cameron and Nate Morris.

Joel Willett, a military veteran and former CIA officer, launched his Democratic campaign for the U.S. Senate from Kentucky on Wednesday, saying the recent fallout from having his security clearance revoked by the Trump administration gave him added incentive to run.

Kentucky lawmaker Pamela Stevenson has launched her campaign for the U.S. Senate. Stevenson is the top-ranking Democrat in the Republican-led Kentucky House. Stevenson said Monday she'll help “stop therecklessness” in Washington if elected. She's running for the seat held by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is not seeking reelection in 2026.