Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., officially announced his candidacy Monday to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell, setting the stage for a high-stakes Republican primary to replace the Senate’s longest-serving GOP leader. The campaign launch, held in Richmond, Kentucky, comes as McConnell prepares to retire after nearly four decades in office.
Barr, a five-term congressman and close ally of President Donald Trump, released a fiery campaign video positioning himself as the MAGA movement’s champion in Kentucky — and a no-holds-barred opponent of liberal policies on immigration, gender identity, and environmental regulations.
“The United States is the greatest country on Earth, and it’s not even close. But here’s the problem. The woke left wants to neuter America — literally,” Barr says in the video. “They hate our values. They hate our history. And goodness knows they hate President Trump. But here in Kentucky, that’s why we love him.”
Primary Clash with Trump Allies
Barr’s announcement sets up a marquee GOP primary battle against Daniel Cameron, the state’s former attorney general and another Trump-endorsed candidate. Both men have built their platforms around loyalty to the former president, who remains enormously popular in Kentucky — a state he won by more than 30 points in the 2024 election.
While McConnell and Trump have grown increasingly distant, with public spats and disagreements over national security and Cabinet appointments, Barr is making clear his allegiance lies firmly with the America First movement.
Hardline Agenda and Conservative Messaging
In his launch video, Barr lays out a hard-right platform, promising to:
“Deport illegal aliens, instead of putting them up in luxury hotels.”
“Get rid of this anti-coal, do-gooder ESG garbage once and for all.”
“Create jobs for hardworking Kentuckians, instead of warm and fuzzies for hardcore liberals.”
As a father, he also pledged to fight for “locker room protections” for girls, vowing to “lock up the sickos who allow biological men to share locker rooms with our daughters.”
Backed by GOP House Leadership
Barr’s campaign is already receiving heavyweight backing from House Republican leadership, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.
“There is no bigger supporter of President Donald J. Trump and our MAGA movement than my dear friend Andy Barr,” Scalise told Fox News Digital. “I’m all-in for Andy in his campaign for the U.S. Senate — proud to support him.”
Stefanik added, “Kentucky needs a Senator who stands 100% with President Trump — that’s my friend, Andy Barr.”
Barr responded by calling their endorsements a “strong signal to all Kentuckians that there is only one America First candidate in this race — and only one candidate with a proven record of getting our agenda across the finish line.”
McConnell’s Shadow Still Looms
While Barr and Cameron both distance themselves from the more traditional, institutional conservatism embodied by McConnell, his political legacy still casts a long shadow. McConnell, who has clashed with Trump on foreign policy, Cabinet nominations, and party strategy, announced in early 2025 that he would not seek re-election, opening the door for a new wave of conservative contenders.
Barr has served as chair of the Financial Institutions subcommittee on the House Financial Services Committee and is an active member in several congressional caucuses, including the Taiwan Caucus, the American Worker Task Force, and the Bourbon Caucus.
With Kentucky’s strong Republican base and Trump’s enduring popularity, Barr’s ability to position himself as the ultimate MAGA loyalist could prove decisive — though not without a fight from Cameron and other potential entrants.
Trump’s Endorsement: The Prize Everyone Wants
Though the former president has yet to officially weigh in, both Barr and Cameron are aggressively courting his endorsement — which many see as the golden ticket in a state that has turned deep red over the past decade.
As the primary heats up, all eyes will be on Trump’s pick — and whether Kentucky voters rally behind the candidate he anoints as McConnell’s true successor.