Supporters packed under a large private tent on the Lynwood Estate in Richmond for the RSVPed event, with no signs of protesters outside, to see the six-term House member make it official.
"I'm Andy Barr, and I'm running for the United States Senate to help this president save our country," he said.
Among the speakers was Nicholas Sandmann, a then-Covington Catholic High School student who was at the center of a media frenzy in 2019 following an encounter with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial. Sandmann said Barr was among those who came to his defense.
In his speech, the congressman vowed strong support for border security, law enforcement, coal, tax cuts, and stopping what he termed "unfair trade." Woven tightly into the speech were frequent mentions of President Trump and his America First agenda. On the controversial cost-cutting under the Department of Government Efficiency, which Barr claimed is operating fully under the law, there appeared to be no daylight between Barr and the man most associated with the effort, Elon Musk.
"The president promised to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. And let me tell you, he's doing just that," the congressman said. "The bureaucrats don't know what hit them, and the liberals are whining like crazy because their pet projects and their wasteful DEI programs are all getting cut."
In a statement, Kentucky Democrats said Barr is doing nothing as the Trump administration "cripples our economy, sends prices skyrocketing, targets Kentucky’s signature industries and threatens to gut health care that 1.5 million Kentuckians rely on."
On average, Trump received a mention every minute of Barr's 17-minute announcement speech, and the congressman is making no secret he's aiming for a presidential endorsement. But he told reporters his focus is on Kentuckians — who overwhelmingly voted to send Trump back to the White House in 2024.
On a host of issues, Barr echoed the president's uncompromising rhetoric — from trade to immigration.
"Our message to every single illegal is simple. Deport yourself or we will," he said.
Vowing to be what he called an "America First fighter," Barr praised not only the president's priorities, but invoked a divine plan.
"I truly believe that President Trump's life was spared in that Pennsylvania field because God had a plan for him, and we're watching that plan unfold every single day," he added.
In the Senate race, Barr joins former candidate for governor Daniel Cameron, who has criticized his mentor, one Sen. Mitch McConnell, for parting ways with the president over some of his cabinet nominations and US aid to Ukraine — placing both of the current Republican contenders for the office solidly on Team Trump.