Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., has maintained a commanding fundraising advantage in the Republican primary to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
That surge has cemented his front-runner status in one of the GOP’s most closely watched Senate races.
The 2026 Kentucky Senate GOP primary is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate contests in the country.
Barr is competing for the seat that once made McConnell the party’s power holder for years before he broke from President Donald Trump.
Barr raised $1.8 million between July and September and reported $6.7 million cash on hand at the end of the third quarter, according to Federal Election Commission filings released Wednesday.
His war chest is roughly three times larger than that of his two main rivals combined, extending an early lead from the previous quarter, according to Politico.
Among the leading funded Kentucky GOP Senate primary candidates:
- Businessman Nate Morris brought in $4 million, though nearly $3 million came from a personal loan. He ended the quarter with just over $1 million on hand.
- Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron again posted modest numbers, raising $411,000 and finishing the quarter with just under $630,000 in the bank. His sluggish fundraising mirrors his second quarter, when he raised just over $385,000, putting a damper on his staying power in the race.
Trump previously endorsed Barr for the House seat he holds.
And Trump had endorsed Cameron in the 2023 gubernatorial race that he did not win, potentially complicating his ability to draw Trump’s backing again.
That could be the very reason behind his lagging funding.
All three leading Republican contenders once interned for McConnell but are now working to distance themselves from the longtime GOP leader.
Instead, they are competing for an endorsement from Trump, who carried the state by 30 points in 2024.
Barr’s cash advantage could give him an early organizational edge in what is shaping up to be a defining test of the party’s post-McConnell future.
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