There was little daylight between Congressman Andy Barr, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and businessman Nate Morris when it came to defending Trump's"America First" agenda — with all seeking a coveted endorsement from the party's standard-bearer.
On Iran, Barr was asked if he would support sending American ground troops into the country.
"I will support this president's position and I have full faith and confidence that this president will make the right decision," the Sixth District representative said. "As this president has said many times, he's not going to take any options off the table, but he's not for nation building. He is for ending a 47-year war."
Addressing immigration and border security, Cameron applauded the president's policies and made this promise if elected: If you are a blue city and I'm in the United States Senate, I'm going to be voting to ban you receiving federal funding because at the end of the day you cannot use taxpayer dollars to flout the rules of the federal government."
Speaking about the long-serving U.S. senator whose seat they hope to claim, candidates were less than eager to embrace former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — with Morris offering only brief praise for the outgoing Republican heavyweight before shifting his sights back to the current administration.
"You know, 20, 30 years ago, (McConnell) did some great things for the state, but let's all face it. Over the last ten years, he's sold Kentucky out, he's voted continually for amnesty, he's gotten us into situations he shouldn't be in, but most importantly he has stabbed this president in the back over and over and over again," Morris said.
Although united under the Trump banner, candidates took opportunities to go on the offense when it came to each other.
Barr questioned Morris's authenticity and framed him as a candidate hoping to buy his way into the Senate while Morris knocked Barr as career politician. Cameron mostly chose to avoid the fray, but did throw some punches, saying Morris is "certainly no Donald Trump."
All three candidates were in attendance at Trump's recent rally in northern Kentucky. The president name-checked the contenders, but stopped short of delivering an endorsement.