(The Center Square) – Lining up was quick. Waiting will be a slower game in Kentucky’s tussle for the U.S. Senate seat held by Mitch McConnell.
More precisely, getting the nod of the guy with the big red tie is where everyone will be looking. President Donald Trump has won the state three times, including nearly doubling the votes of Kamala Harris on Nov. 5 in a 64.5%-33.9% rout.
Early leaders in the race are former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and businessman Nate Morris. The latter hasn’t committed; Cameron and Barr have. Also on the fence are U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and state Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester.
Cameron and Barr have ties to Trump. The president campaigned for Barr in a tough 2018 election race, and he endorsed Cameron well ahead of the 12-candidate Republican governor’s primary two years ago.
Morris is an entrepreneur, chairman and CEO of Morris Industries, and founder of now-struggling Rubicon. He has ties to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Vice President J.D. Vance and could stand apart if he decides to run for having broken allegiance to McConnell.
Short of Beltway implosions, Trump figures to swing the race just as he previously did for Barr and Cameron. Impact for the latter, however, only succeeded at the primary level.
Not running will be U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., a potential 2027 gubernatorial candidate. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman also indicate no plans to run.
Democrats are likely to see state Rep. Pamela Stevenson.
History would be made if Cameron or Stevenson win the seat. The state has never had a Black senator.
Despite Beshear’s two terms as governor, the road to Washington is considered uphill in the Senate lane.
The last Democrat to win a Senate seat in Kentucky was Wendell Ford in 1992. He retired in 1999.
Former President Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 is the only Democrat to win the state in presidential elections since the late Jimmy Carter in 1976.
McConnell said Thursday he would not seek an eighth term. The 83-year-old has been plagued by health problems in his most recent term. He’s the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history.