Barr maintains large lead in GOP Senate fundraising. Democrats start to spend
Andy Barr remains at the top of the fundraising pack in the race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The 6th Congressional District Representative has outpaced the Republican competition, raising more than both Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris and former attorney general Daniel Cameron this past quarter, according to Federal Elections Commission records.
With more than $4.1 million cash on hand as of March 31, Barr has more than five times as much money as either Cameron or Morris heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Morris brought in just over $1 million into his campaign coffers. Cameron raised $456,000 in the quarter, but ended with more cash on hand than Morris, totalling $765,000. Morris, who has self-funded much of his campaign and could potentially reload his coffers, ended the quarter with $581,000 on hand.
Public, independent polling on the race has been scant, but the surveys that have been released show Barr with a slight lead over Cameron and Morris in third place.
One such independent poll from late March showed Barr at 28%, Cameron with 21% and Morris at 15%. A mid-March internal poll from Barr’s team had Cameron up with 31% to Barr’s 29% and Morris’ 13%.
Heavy-spending outside groups like the pro-Morris Fight For Kentucky PAC and pro-Barr Keep America Great PAC have been pumping even more dollars into the race. The PAC supporting Morris has raised more than $13.5 million, fueled by a $10 million donation from world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and Keep America Great PAC has brought in more than $11.4 million.
Michael Faris, a GOP candidate who has run an energetic campaign, garnering some grassroots support despite lagging well behind the competition in fundraising, reported raising about $20,000 over the last three months. He spent almost $11,000 in that period.
Democratic candidates
Democratic candidates to replace McConnell in the U.S. Senate trailed their GOP counterparts in terms of fundraising. Though the candidates beg to differ, the seat is largely seen as leaning heavily in the GOP’s favor; no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in Kentucky since 1992, and the last time one got within single digits was 2004, when former lieutenant governor Daniel Mongiardo ran a close race against late senator Jim Bunning.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former candidate for U.S. Senate and House Amy McGrath brought the most in of any candidate, with about $578,000 coming into her campaign in the first quarter; she also spent the most of any at nearly $604,000, leaving her with about $312,000 on hand.
Louisville horse trainer Dale Romans did not raise nearly as much as he had in a previous fundraising quarter ($58,000), but kept spending lower than McGrath at $195,000. He ended the quarter with the most on hand of any Democrat, at nearly $441,000.
Another former candidate, Charles Booker, who has led in the few publicly available polls, raised $291,000 and spent $165,000. He ended the quarter with $198,000.
Logan Forsythe and House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville, have yet to file their financial reports to the FEC.
Barr donors
Barr’s campaign benefited from several maximum donations, including prominent Kentuckians as well as billionaires from other states.
Though donors can give campaigns a maximum of $7,000, only half of that, $3,500, can be used during the primary election. Here’s a rundown of who helped pad Barr’s fundraising lead with a max donation of at least $3,500.
- Jim Booth, Martin County coal magnate.
- Daren Turner, Turner Properties developer in Lexington.
- Tony Campbell, former president of East Kentucky Power Cooperative.
- Jason Robins, CEO of sports betting giant DraftKings.
- Chris Shumway, billionaire wealth management professional.
- Fred Ehrsam, billionaire cofounder of cryptocurrency firm Coinbase.
Morris donors
Donations to Morris’ campaign remained steady in the first quarter of 2026, but the amount of money he loaned to his own campaign fell. He chipped in $450,000, significantly less than last quarter; in all, he’s loaned his campaign more than $4.8 million.
Many of Morris’ big donors were from Florida, where he recently held a fundraiser headlined by tax entrepreneur and influencer Julio Gonzalez; Zach Witkoff, son of Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff; and Brett Ratner, who recently directed the documentary film “Melania,” about the First Lady of the United States.
- Omeed Malik, close associate of Donald Trump, Jr. through their venture capital firm.
- Senate Conservatives Fund, a longtime anti-McConnell GOP group.
- Roger Tovar, Florida International University board president and private investment firm chair.
- Steuart Walton of the Walton family, which owns Walmart.
- Francis Suarez, former mayor of Miami, Florida, and his wife, Gloria.
- Eric Deters, former GOP gubernatorial candidate.
- Horatio Rozanski, CEO of technology and defense consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.
Cameron donors
Though Cameron’s fundraising lags well behind Barr and Morris, the $456,000 he raised in January, February and March is an improvement from the previous quarter. He got a hand from severable notable people, including one whose name once dominated the news due to his relationship with a Supreme Court justice.
- Chad Sweet, investment bank CEO and husband of Accenture CEO Julie Sweet
- Harlan Crow, billionaire real estate investor known for his scrutinized relationship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, centered on gifts he gave Thomas.
- Daniel Loeb, billionaire hedge fund manager.
- Louisville businessman and former GOP candidate for governor Hal Heiner gave $1,000.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 8:08 AM.
