Replacing McConnell? Someone reserves Senate 2026 web domains for 6 prominent Kentuckians
Someone thinks six prominent Kentucky Republicans could run for U.S. Senate soon.
Various website domains “for senate” were recently created for congressmen Andy Barr, Brett Guthrie and James Comer, as well as former attorney general Daniel Cameron, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft and Lexington businessman Nate Morris.
None of them have said they’ll seek the office, and none of them have said they’re involved in the creation of any of those websites.
And there’s still not word on whether or not they could even be used in the near term. The longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, Sen. Mitch McConnell, has yet to decide if he will run for his Senate seat again in 2026. The 82-year-old opted to step down from his leadership post earlier this year, clearing the way for Sen. John Thune, R-SD, to take over when Republicans take the majority next year.
A McConnell spokesperson responded to a Herald-Leader inquiry by stating that the leader “hasn’t made an announcement about his 2026 plans.”
The domain name reservations could be the work of a so-called “cybersquatter,” a term referencing someone who buys several political web domains in anticipation of a potential yet-unannounced campaign.
This year, the self-described “GOAT” — greatest of all time — of cybersquatting, Jeremy Green Eche, sold the HarrisWalz.com domain to the Democratic presidential ticket for $15,000.
In response to a Herald-Leader inquiry, Eche said that the Kentucky-related domains were not purchased by him.
None of the sites are currently active.
A spokesperson for Comer said that the congressman’s team, to his knowledge, had nothing to do with the creation of websites like “comerforussenate.com” and “comer4senate.com.” He also relayed that Comer has no interest in running for senate even if McConnell does not seek reelection.
Cameron, meanwhile, left the door open.
“Makenze and I are committed to serving Kentucky and we’re praying about what that looks like,” Cameron said, referring to his wife. “I remain open to any opportunity that could arise to make a difference, advance a conservative agenda, and help President Trump get our country back on track.”
Cameron is now running the 1792 Exchange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to pushing back on allegedly “woke” capitalism and corporations. It’s particularly targeted at ESG — short for environmental, social and governance — which refers to the guidelines and policies used by some companies to guide or inform their investments. The group recently launched a “national” ad campaign touting its “workplace politics survey.”
The former attorney general has also remained politically active in Kentucky, raising money and doling it out to state-level candidates through his All 120 PAC. In a recent email newsletter to supporters, Cameron emphasized how politically involved he’s been this year, including hitting the stump for Trump.
“Even though my name wasn’t on the ballot, I hit the campaign trail hard because of the importance of this election. It was good to see old friends at Lincoln Dinners and GOP functions across the state. The greatest honor for me this election cycle was serving as a surrogate for President Trump. It gave me an opportunity to make the case for him on tv, in West Virginia, and in battleground state, Wisconsin,” Cameron wrote.
Spokespeople for Barr, Guthrie and Craft, as well as a person familiar with Morris’ thinking, did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Should the seat open up, President-elect Donald Trump could hold significant sway over who gets the GOP nomination.
In the 2023 governor’s race, he endorsed Cameron early, before some others entered the race. Cameron has retained ties to Trump, speaking as his surrogate at Fancy Farm, the state’s premier political speaking event, this summer.
Craft, who lost to Cameron in the 2023 GOP primary for governor, has been a mainstay fundraiser for Trump. In the lead-up to all three of the president-elect’s runs, Craft and her husband — billionaire coal magnate and philanthropist Joe Craft — have played key roles in donating their own funds as well as hosting fundraisers.
Craft served as both ambassador to Canada and the United Nations during Trump’s first term. Both of those slots, as well as other major foreign affairs roles like Secretary of State, NATO ambassador and ambassador to France have already been filled. However, several other high-profile ambassadorships like England, Russia, China and others remain open.
Morris is a politico-turned-entrepreneur who founded the Lexington-based waste technology company Rubicon. Morris has been active in attending political functions in recent years, has a book on the way and money to spend. In 2022 alone, he made $41 million according to outlet Waste Dive. Also in 2022, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in a $1.7 billion deal.
Morris also has some ties to Vice President-elect JD Vance, whose story as a political outsider with deep pockets from a heartland state mirrors Morris’.
Barr has also hewed closely to Trump. He served as the campaign chair this year for the state of Kentucky and says he wants to bridge the gap between “America First” Trump-style populism and free market capitalism.
But he currently has his sights set on a Washington role in his own chamber. A recent report from Axios, corroborated by other Washington outlets, dubs Barr the favorite to chair the House Financial Services Committee. He’s running against fellow committee member French Hill, R-AR, and others.
Barr previously rebuffed rumors he’d abandon his bid for the chairmanship if McConnell were to step down.
“If my colleagues in the House want me to lead the Financial Services Committee, that’s my priority,” he said in a February interview with POLITICO.
According to Republican House Conference rules, a committee chair must vacate his or her role if they decide to run for another elected office.
Guthrie is also in a race for a chairmanship, in his case for the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Bowling Green Republican is outpacing his competition, Rep. Bob Latta, R-KY, in the fundraising race according to Punchbowl News. The outlet reported that House GOP leadership “tends to view Guthrie as having the inside track.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
