LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The three top Republican candidates hoping to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell will participate in a debate Monday night, with only a little more than two months before Kentucky's GOP primary.
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who represents Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris are set to face off in Louisville at 7 p.m.
The Jefferson County Republican Party is hosting Monday night's debate.
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.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in prepared remarks provided in advance to the Associated Press ahead of a speech to his Senate colleagues. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”
McConnell, who has held the seat since 1984, 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.
Meanwhile, Democrats hoping to win the seat include Amy McGrath, a retired Marine aviator; Pamela Stevenson, a state lawmaker and former military judge advocate general; Logan Forsythe, an attorney and former U.S. Secret Service agent; and Joel Willett, a military veteran and former CIA officer.
Voters will head to the polls for the Kentucky primary on May 19.
Watch the debate live on WCPO.com and on all of our digital platforms.
