Kentucky Republican Declares Senate Candidacy Following Mitch McConnell’s Retirement Announcement

A Republican candidate has already thrown his name into the race to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s former attorney general, announced his candidacy for the Senate seat shortly after McConnell’s announcement.

Cameron unsuccessfully ran for governor of Kentucky in 2023.

Just in: Daniel Cameron has announced that he is running in the 2026 Kentucky Senate Race

Daniel Cameron was the Republican nominee for Governor of Kentucky in 2023.

Andy Barr and Nate Morris are expected to announce they are running in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/F2b5SRhYQI

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) February 20, 2025

From The Courier-Journal:

McConnell announced Thursday morning he would not run for reelection, with Cameron’s announcement coming minutes later. The senator won seven terms in office, beginning in 1984, and served as the GOP’s chamber leader from 2007 through 2024.

Cameron, who was the first Black attorney general in state history, came up under McConnell’s wing and has deep ties to the senator, who has emerged in recent years as a frequent foil to President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican.

Cameron served as McConnell’s legal counsel for about about two years before he won the attorney general’s race in 2019, where he frequently stood in opposition to Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat. Beshear beat Cameron in the 2023 gubernatorial race, the lone statewide office not won by the GOP.

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BREAKING: Daniel Cameron runs for U.S. Senate in Kentucky after Mitch McConnell announces retirement.

Cameron is the former attorney general of Kentucky.

He was a Trump 2024 surrogate. He also supports Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI today. pic.twitter.com/jbob9JzHTC

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 20, 2025

“Kentucky, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let’s do this,” Cameron said.

Kentucky, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/YRXAm4Busv

— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) February 20, 2025

POLITICO reports:

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, seen as a rising star in the Republican Party, announced Thursday he is seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by former GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

Cameron, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2023, enters the Republican primary with high name ID and ability to mount a formidable statewide campaign, after becoming Kentucky’s first Black attorney general in 2019.

He is widely seen as the heir apparent to McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, and launched his Senate bid within hours of his mentor announcing he would not seek reelection.

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