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Ongoing story / Kentucky

The 2026 Kentucky Senate race: Andy Barr vs. Charles Booker

Overview · reviewed November 12, 2026

Republican Rep. Andy Barr, endorsed by President Donald Trump, won Kentucky's 2026 race for the seat of Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history, defeating Democrat Charles Booker; he had 53.71% of the vote to Booker's 44.23% when the Associated Press called it.[1][2] In the Republican primary, the businessman Nate Morris, running on a pro-Trump platform, drew $10 million in support from Elon Musk.[3]

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In the Republican primary, the businessman Nate Morris, running on a pro-Trump platform, drew $10 million in support from Elon Musk.[3]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-02-17 (UTC): 22%, 43 of 194 tracked outlets (14 left, 15 center, 14 right)Week of 2025-02-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-03-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-04-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-05-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-06-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): 4%, 7 of 170 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): under 1%, 2 of 473 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 471 tracked outlets (2 left, 4 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 1 more outlet off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (4 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 202624410 of 4712%
Oct 26, 20260112 of 473under 1%
Jan 19, 20260167 of 1704%
Feb 17, 202514151443 of 19422%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 3, 2026 · first reported · Headline from KBSI Cape Girardeau

    Andy Barr declares victory in Kentucky U.S. Senate race

Background

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, first elected in 1984, announced on his 83rd birthday in February 2025 that he would not seek reelection.[4] In January 2026, Elon Musk gave $10 million to a backing Nate Morris, a pro-Trump businessman running to replace him, the largest disclosed contribution of the midterm cycle at the time.[3] Former President Barack Obama endorsed Booker shortly before the election.[5]

Supporting stories (5)
  1. Barr wins McConnell’s open Senate seat in Kentucky
  2. Senator Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker
  3. Elon Musk backs Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Nate Morris with $10M donation
  4. Mitch McConnell announces retirement, marking end of era in GOP leadership
  5. Former President Barack Obama endorses Charles Booker to fill Kentucky's Senate seat

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 5 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Barr wins McConnell’s open Senate seat in KentuckyHeadline from The Hill · 9 outlets
  2. Former President Barack Obama endorses Charles Booker to fill Kentucky's Senate seatHeadline from Foxlexington · 3 outlets

January 2026

  1. Elon Musk backs Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Nate Morris with $10M donationHeadline from New York Post · 7 outlets

February 2025

  1. Senator Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power brokerHeadline from The Boston Globe · 35 outlets
  2. Mitch McConnell announces retirement, marking end of era in GOP leadershipHeadline from KTVB Boise · 10 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →