Mitch McConnell: 2026 KY Senate race more ‘about the future,’ less about his own record
Criticizing the man they’re looking to replace has become something of a trend among the Kentucky Republicans potentially lining up for the seat of Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2026.
Former attorney general Daniel Cameron has distanced himself from McConnell in recent weeks, though he cut his political teeth in the former Senate GOP leader’s office.
Rep. Andy Barr, who interned with McConnell and not long ago called him a “mentor,” has flaunted his own comments “slamming” McConnell on issues related to China.
Nate Morris, a wealthy Lexington tech entrepreneur who also interned for the 83-year-old Senator, has criticized the other two for being McConnell’s “puppets” and hammered McConnell for votes against Republican President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks.
McConnell, known for his strategic acumen, doesn’t think that dog will hunt for long.
“I’m not going to be running next year,” McConnell said. “The race will be about the future.”
It was a brief response to a question on whether he thought the strategy of attacking his record will work.
Currently, only two candidates have officially said they will run — Cameron on the Republican side and state House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson of Louisville for the Democrats — though Morris and Barr both appear poised to jump in. And, former state House Democratic leader Rocky Adkins hasn’t denied interest either.
McConnell, a Senate stalwart who last year stepped down as the longest-serving U.S. Senate party leader in history, made his comment in Lexington for a discussion alongside Kentucky agriculture stakeholders like new University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Dean Laura Stephenson, Kentucky Farm Bureau President Eddie Melton and others.
The longtime Senator also offered his perspective on the biggest federal news of the day Thursday: Trump’s planned executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
McConnell made it clear that he thinks its a good idea to reduce government spending, but he wouldn’t offer the same clarity on whether he supports the plan to dismantle the $268 billion department.
Instead, the longtime Republican senator emphasized that the courts “will ultimately decide” if Trump can do it or not.
“I think the way to look at all these reorganization efforts by the administration is ‘what’s legal and what isn’t,’ and they’ll be defined in the courts,” McConnell said. “I can understand the desire to reduce government spending. Every administration, some not quite as bold as this one, has tried to do that in one way or another.
“This is a different approach, and the courts will ultimately decide whether the president has the authority to take these various steps. Some may have different outcomes. So I’m just going to wait, like all of us, in effect, are going to wait, and see whether this is permissible or not.”
When pressed on whether or not he believes the executive order is a good idea or not, he deflected.
“I think it’s a good idea to reduce government spending,” McConnell said.
Kentucky receives almost $480 million from the department for hiring staff and for special education programs alone.
Shuttering or severely diminishing the department has long been a goal of some conservative fiscal hawks and the idea has gained steam with the billionaire Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
To formally shutter the department would require a vote of Congress. McConnell did not say whether he would vote yes or no on such an action.
On another topic related to Trump, the senator shared a stronger view: he repeated, as he has stated continuously, that he doesn’t approve of the president’s actions on tariffs.
Though he and his fellow Kentucky GOP Senator Rand Paul sometimes are at odds, the pair have both vociferously pushed back on Trump’s tariffs and tariff threats against foreign trading partners.
“I’m not a fan of tariffs,” McConnell said. “If you look at what’s happening in Canada already, they’re taking Kentucky bourbon off the shelves even before they necessarily have to just to send a message.”
When asked about the chances of changing Trump’s course of action, McConnell mentioned that the authority of the president to take action on tariffs is more clear than his authority on dismantling the Department of Education.
Ultimately, he said he still wishes the president well.
“It’s very complicated, and all I can say is: I hope it works, but I don’t think at this stage it’s good for Kentucky,” McConnell said.
That statement contrasts Barr’s take.
At a Lexington luncheon on Wednesday, the seven-term Congressman said that tariffs will pay off in the long term.
“I understand that tariffs in the short term create some uncertainty,” Barr said. “But in the long term, this is the right policy because it has the enormous potential to open up markets to our exporters and provide a level playing field for American businesses.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM.
