Ky Politics Insider: McConnell & the SAVE Act, major union endorses, Adams on 2027
Kentucky Politics Insider provides an analytical view of Kentucky politics and the conversations that drive decisions. Email me at ahorn@herald-leader.com or ping me on any one of the various social media sites with tips or comments.
Most of Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams’ interview with KET’s Renee Shaw earlier this month focused on his office’s work on elections.
But he made a couple of notable comments about how he’s thinking about potentially running for governor in 2027, including one remark that could work as an implied shot at Rep. James Comer, who has long been considered a leading candidate for the GOP nomination.
Adams himself, a self-styled moderate Republican, has floated the possibility of running for governor for as long as Comer, whose star has risen in Kentucky and nationwide as he’s led the House Oversight Committee during both the current administration of President Donald Trump and former Democratic President Joe Biden. Comer has the explicit backing of two statewide elected officials and has been meeting with power brokers across the state in advance of the election year.
When asked about his thought process, Adams told Shaw he thought his style as a “rational, intelligent person” would be a good fit for state office as opposed to federal.
He told Shaw his odds would be “pretty good,” even running against Comer.
“I’m the only person talking about state issues. I’ve got this lane all to myself. No one else even talks about it. They talk about the outrage of the day on social media or whatever, and I think Kentucky voters have shown they want an adult in the room,” Adams said.
Voters want authenticity, he added. He said that’s where much of Trump’s support comes from.
“I’m a different personality type than (Trump) is, but I’m authentic, and I’m the only person who’s not a bootlicker and thinking for myself and being my own man — I think voters like that,” Adams said.
The “SAVE America” Act
Few pieces of federal legislation break through the online MAGA set quite like the SAVE America Act, which would create a nationwide requirement that voters show photo identification to cast a ballot, and that Americans provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Though Congress has passed legislation affecting elections nationwide before, critics have pointed out that, under the constitution, election law is generally under the purview of states. They also warn it’s a dangerous play to appease election deniers, including Trump, who continues to falsely insist that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Sen. Mitch McConnell found himself the target of that group, and other Republicans’, fury over the weekend. The origins of the claim are unclear, but the idea that McConnell was “stopping” the SAVE America Act from passage grew popular after a video from Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett.
Burchett said in the video he “saw” that McConnell was blocking the bill, without further explanation.
“I saw where Mitch McConnell was blocking the SAVE Act this morning. I think it’s partially just out of meanness,” Burchett said, referencing McConnell’s well-known dislike of Trump.
McConnell is one of three GOP holdouts that haven’t sponsored the bill, but that doesn’t quite paint an accurate picture of the situation.
For one, the 50 GOP sponsors on the bill are enough for a simple majority, but even if McConnell and the other two holdouts joined, the Senate would fall far short of passing the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster.
Some have also pointed to McConnell’s role as chair of the powerful Rules Committee, which helps control the flow of legislation. However, the authority to bring bills to the floor ultimately lies with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, who has sponsored the bill.
A McConnell spokesperson noted that in a comment to the Herald-Leader.
“Senator McConnell has not, at any point in time, prevented a floor vote on any version of the SAVE Act. The most recent version of the bill that passed the House was not referred to any committees and is currently awaiting Senate floor consideration. Senator McConnell has no role in or power to control floor consideration of this bill,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The online furor after Burchett’s video on the bill, which would also grant the Department of Homeland Security access to states’ voter rolls, was strong. Several conservative influencers blamed McConnell for the situation, and reposted old videos of him falling or freezing up while speaking in public.
Others resorted to more drastic measures.
At one point, an anonymous user posted to X a McConnell staffer’s address. It was quoted by another account with more than 110,000 followers, commenting “y’all know what to do.” That was reposted by roughly 5,400 users.
AFL-CIO backs Stevenson
This year is the first time the 6th Congressional District has been truly open since 1998, when former GOP representative and governor Ernie Fletcher replaced Scotty Baesler.
As such, there are lots of moving parts on both Democratic and Republican sides. One of those moving parts is endorsements.
Former state Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson scored perhaps one of the most important ones Monday when she got the backing of the Kentucky branch of the AFL-CIO, the largest union group in the United States.
“This is one of the most important congressional races in the country for working people. Cherlynn has never wavered in her support for Kentucky’s working families. She has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with union members in the legislature, fighting back against attacks on collective bargaining and pushing for policies that put workers ahead of corporate profits. We are proud to endorse her because she understands that when unions are strong, Kentucky is strong,” Dustin Reinstedler, President of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, wrote in a statement.
Earlier in the cycle, Stevenson got the backing of Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.
But Stevenson hasn’t been the only Democrat to get big endorsements.
Zach Dembo, a former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran who has raised the most money among Democrats, has the endorsement of VoteVets, a prominent progressive veterans group. Erin Petrey, a businesswoman and bourbon writer, has the endorsement of foreign aid-focused Alliance for American Leadership.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 8:02 AM.
