LEXINGTON, Ky. — Rep. Andy Barr has claimed victory in the Kentucky Republican primary race for Mitch McConnell's coveted U.S. Senate seat, the Associated Press projects.
Currently, Barr represents Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of the congressman earlier this month.
“I know Andy well, and he is always a Vote we can count on because he knows what it takes to GET THINGS DONE,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
According to the Associated Press, 52-year-old Barr has suggested he wants a tent that includes McConnell-type Republicans, but said he is neither a "Mitch McConnell-Republican" nor a "Rand Paul-Republican."
"I am neither, I am an Andy Barr Republican," Barr said at an event in May.
Barr beat out a number of candidates Tuesday night, including former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Cameron previously served as legal counsel to McConnell and publicly criticized the senator throughout his campaign.
Businessman Nate Morris was also a candidate, but ended his campaign after Trump said he asked him to "step aside" and join his administration.
Morris went on to endorse Barr in a post on X.
Watch the debate between the top GOP candidates in the video below:
McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, announced on his 83rd birthday in February 2025 that he would not seek reelection and would retire after his current term ends. He has held the seat since 1984 and is credited with helping Republicans rise to power in a state long dominated by Democrats, as well as securing federal funding for his home state
With a win in the primary, Barr will now face the Democratic candidate for McConnell's seat in November.
Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate race in Kentucky since 1992.
