Bluegrass Democrats make their choice to replace McConnell, take on Trump-backed Barr

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Bluegrass State Democrats chose their challenger and hopeful successor to longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday night.

Charles Booker, a progressive former state representative who has squared off with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in the past, clinched the Democratic nomination for Senate in Kentucky, besting a crowded field of seven candidates.

Booker will now face Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., who similarly dispatched a deep field of candidates, but was heavily spurred by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.

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Charles Booker speaking at a podium during the Marshall County Democrats bean dinner in Lexington, Kentucky

And Trump will be a predominant factor heading into the November contest. Though the president’s approval ratings are dismal across the country, Booker will still have to beat history if he wants to win out against Barr.

That’s because Kentucky hasn’t had a Democratic senator since 1999, and Trump has consistently won in the state since launching his political career a decade ago.

Still, Booker is familiar with the big stage, having won the Democratic nomination in 2022. He ultimately lost to Paul by over 20 points. Kentucky Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s win in 2023 does give Democrats some hope in the state that they can break the cycle of GOP domination.

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But like so many races during this and previous cycles in the Trump era, the president was the main factor on the Republican side.

“We did have a lead before the endorsement,” Barr said during a campaign event on Monday. “Our lead has skyrocketed since then in the polling that we’re looking at, but we don’t take anything for granted.”

It helped him topple his main opponent, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who remained confident that even without Trump’s coveted endorsement, he could still win.

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Rep. Andy Barr, Trump and Mitch McConnell split

Trump lauded Barr for his loyalty to him and added that he is the “only Candidate who will easily defeat the Democrat in what will be one of the most important Elections in American History.”

Trump also touted Barr as a strong supporter of eliminating the filibuster, the voting barrier that has derailed the GOP’s Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

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The legislation has so far wallowed in the background of the upper chamber, thanks in part to Democrats’ strong objections to it and a lack of support among Republicans to pass it. Last month, a version of the SAVE America Act failed to gain enough Republican support at a simple 50-vote threshold.

“He will do everything in his power to get it done,” Trump said. “It is desperately needed by the Republican Party to pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT, and all other things necessary for a strong and brilliant Country!”

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