Newsweek: Mitch McConnell vs. MAGA: The Battle Brewing for Kentucky Senate Seat

Some Republicans are starting to come out and endorse Nate Morris in Kentucky to replace longtime Senator Mitch McConnell, who is retiring in 2026 and not seeking an eighth term.

McConnell’s former protege, ex-Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, has veered away from the longtime lawmaker and cozied up closer to President Donald Trump and his “America First” agenda.

Why It Matters

In February, the 83-year-old McConnell—the longest-serving Senate party leader and a GOP mainstay in the chamber for decades—announced he would not seek reelection. He stepped down as the Senate GOP leader last year and was replaced by South Dakota Senator John Thune, who is now the majority leader.

McConnell’s successor could very well depend on whether Cameron or Morris pledge more allegiance to Trump and the Make America Great Again base, in a state that has consistently voted red in statewide Senate races. Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr is also running on Trump’s agenda and chaired Trump’s 2024 primary campaign statewide.

Ex-Kentucky Governor Wendell Ford, who represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate for 24 years until 1999, was the last Democrat to be elected to that seat.

What To Know

Cameron was Kentucky’s 51st attorney general, becoming the first Black individual elected to a stand-alone statewide office in Kentucky’s history—and the first Republican to hold that office since 1948.

He was also the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky in 2023, losing to Democrat Andy Beshear in the general election. Trump called Cameron “absolutely outstanding in every way” during that campaign cycle.

When Cameron lost, Trump blamed McConnell: “Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell,” Trump said at the time. “I told him early that’s a big burden to overcome.”

After serving as McConnell’s legal counsel at one point and assumed by many to follow the longtime senator’s footsteps as his potential heir apparent, Cameron publicly shifted his tone to become more pro-Trump, during his gubernatorial contest—seemingly at odds with McConnell, who has been one of the Republican Party‘s more outspoken voices against Trump the past decade.

On his campaign website, Cameron’s actions and accomplishments are described as fitting the mold of Trump’s “America First” agenda.

“President Trump needs fighters in the U.S. Senate to move forward his America First policies,” a blurb front and center on the website reads. “I’m prepared to be that fighter and to help us Make America Great Again!”

“Daniel has always stood with President Trump and always will,” a Cameron campaign spokesperson told Newsweek on Wednesday. “That’s why so many Kentuckians see him as the candidate most aligned with President Trump’s vision and values. It’s also why Daniel is the clear front-runner and leading the field with a commanding 26-point lead and a track record that sets him apart.

“Nate Morris, meanwhile, thinks it’s a good idea to build a company that opposes the America First Agenda in every way. Nate brought Obama and Kamala strategist David Plouffe onto his board, pushed radical DEI policies, supported BLM, and he even wanted to ban plastic straws.”

The Cameron campaign also criticized Morris for running “his company into the ground, never turning a profit and siphoning off $41 million for himself while his company fired employees, and was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and sold off for parts to Mexican investors. More on his full record at fakenate.com.”

Morris is a wealthy business executive who has been endorsed by GOP Senators Jim Banks (Indiana) and Bernie Moreno (Ohio). Charlie Kirk, of Turning Point USA, has also expressed support for the Washington outsider.

“If we are going to put America First again, we need to send a conservative outsider to Washington, not another career politician,” Moreno told Politico in a statement on Wednesday. “Nate will stand shoulder to shoulder with me in the fight to secure our border, deport illegals, and say ‘hell no’ to any attempt at amnesty.”

Morris has also appeared on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast, Triggered, where he announced his candidacy.

“You’ve got two McConnellites that owe everything to Mitch McConnell versus the outside business guy that’s running as the MAGA candidate,” Morris said on Triggered in June. “I think that contrast is going to be very, very striking to Kentuckians all over the state because they’ve had enough. They’ve had enough of Mitch.”

The Trump Effect

Denny Salas, co-founder of Gotham Polling & Analytics, told Newsweek via email on Wednesday that Cameron starts this race with some built-in advantages, including Trump’s endorsement in the 2023 GOP gubernatorial primary and his name recognition from holding the office of attorney general.

But Morris is building a MAGA coalition, Salas said, and grassroots efforts are leading to endorsements in what is expected to be one of the more expensive races in 2026.

“When President Trump decides to get involved, he’ll do what he always does—look at the race holistically: loyalty to him, fundraising and polling numbers, which MAGA influencers support each candidate, and even which operatives are on the payroll,” Salas said.

The impact of Barr on the race is also nothing to scoff at, Salas noted, mentioning Barr’s large fundraising numbers that could ultimately “flood the airwaves.”

“If Morris can turn those MAGA endorsements and the Turning Point field operation into real polling momentum and cash, that’s when Trump might decide to weigh in—and his endorsement could flip the race overnight,” Salas added.

T.J. McCormack, a radio host and GOP strategist, told Newsweek via email on Wednesday that McConnell’s history with Trump will impact Senate candidates who want to shy away from the outgoing lawmaker.

“The operative words for the past several years of Mitch McConnell’s tenure have been ‘distrust’ and ‘disappointment,'” McCormack said. “When a Republican Senate leader is not a reliable ally for a Republican president—especially one taking so much flack—everyone takes note, and that is not helpful to any potential successors from his immediate political family tree.”

He added that Cameron’s difficulty in holding front-runner status is not surprising, as more rank-and-file Republicans define him as McConnell’s protégé.

“McConnell’s abandoning of Trump was egregious and it makes perfect sense that unless Cameron figures out a way to distance himself from the former leader he will be tarred by their close relationship,” McCormack said.

Coefficient polling conducted in March and reported by Semafor showed Cameron leading a very early primary race at 39 percent, ahead of Barr (18 percent) and Morris (3 percent).

What People Are Saying

Nate Morris on X on Wednesday after Moreno’s endorsement: “Honored to earn the endorsement of@berniemoreno. As a fellow outsider businessman, he understands how career politician insiders in both political parties sold the working-class out with open borders and globalist trade deals. I’ll stand with him to always put America FIRST.”

Patricia Crouse, political scientist in residence at the University of New Haven, told Newsweek via email on Wednesday: “Politically speaking, Kentucky is an odd state. Although you have people like [James] Comer who are die-hard MAGA supporters, you also have people like [Representatives] Rand Paul and Thomas Massie who have been outspoken critics of some of Trump’s policies but remain popular in Kentucky.

“It’s possible that the Republican primary could become quite crowded and it could just depend on what the voters are looking for in a McConnell replacement. It’s also possible that Morris may not be the only MAGA candidate in the primary and that the candidates may try to ‘out-MAGA’ each other. Trump may wait to see who the candidates are before weighing in. I don’t think Democrats are a threat to take McConnell’s seat but they could certainly make the general election race interesting.”

What Happens Next

The 2026 Kentucky Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026. It will be the first open Senate election in Kentucky since 2010, and the first to this particular seat since 1972.