By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
In the wake of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell’s announcement, Barren County Republicans and Democrats are looking to the future of Kentucky’s representation.
On Feb. 20, freshly 83-year-old McConnell announced in a speech on the Senate floor that he would not be seeking reelection to his Senate seat in 2026, saying he has been “humbled by the trust” of Kentuckians who have elected him to the Senate seven times.
“Representing our commonwealth has been the honor a lifetime,” McConnell said. “I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”
State Representative Steve Riley said the announcement was expected. He lauded McConnell’s service to the commonwealth, especially financially.
“I was not surprised,” Riley said. “I thank him for his service; he’s been in that position for a long time, but eventually there comes a time where everyone finishes and I think he did it in a way to give people time to start their campaign, so I appreciate that. I think he’s had a big impact on Kentucky because the position he’s been in Kentucky can get special consideration for things. I think Kentucky has benefited financially from him being in that position.”
Former Vice Chair of the Barren County Republicans and President of the Republican Women’s Club Barbra Pendleton also said his announcement was expected but said the retirement was an overall positive thing both politically and for health reasons.
“I was pleased to hear that McConnell was [retiring] because…I think he has lost respect from a lot of his constituents,” Pendleton said. “I think one of the reasons [for that] is because he’s so opposed to President Trump and he has not voted for [Trump’s] nominees. I was hoping Senator McConnell could unify the party because we’re always told in the Party that when someone else wins…you support the Party and I don’t really think he has been doing that.”
“His health is not good…I really admire him for what he has done [but] I think their comes a time when you need to hand it off to someone else, and I think he has reached that time. When he started out I think he was really interested in Kentucky, and doing a lot of things for Kentucky but I think it’s time we had some new leadership,” she added.
On the other side of the political aisle, Democratic Party member Joe Trigg said he did not think McConnell’s tenure was a good thing for Kentucky, specifically with regards to infrastructure and agriculture .
“I tried to do some research and, realistically, it was hard to find where even the state benefited from him,” Trigg said. “On the infrastructure side I’m sure he had a hand in [Interstate] 65 but, from what I could gather, he also had a hand in the 66 corridor not happening. On the agriculture side, one big thing would be his promotion and push for the tobacco settlement and the removal of allotments for tobacco farmers all across the country, and that had a negative effect on farmers.”
“He did a lot for himself politically by staying there as long as he did…but I don’t know if it translated to anything for the county,” he added.
Trigg also has been an outspoken proponent of term limits and said it “should have occurred,” noting McConnell’s 42-year tenure.
Numerous individuals announced their desire for the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat with former gubernatorial candidate and attorney general Daniel Cameron announcing his candidacy on social media shortly after McConnell’s speech, calling for a “new generation of leadership” in the U.S. Senate. United States Andy Barr (R) said, after the news of the retirement Thursday, that he is considering a run as well, and Lexington-based businessman and GOP political donor Nate Morris said he was considering running for the seat.
Riley said he was hoping for a “robust primary.”
“Daniel [Cameron] is an excellent candidate and I think Andy Barr would be excellent senator,” Pendleton said. “Daniel or Andy would be excellent choices.”
No democrats have formally filed or announced their candidacies, but both Governor Andy Beshear and Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said they were not running for the seat, and House Democratic Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson said she will make a formal announcement of her candidacy “in a few weeks.”
“I think it needs to be a young, down the center individual,” Trigg said. “I would lean towards someone who knows agriculture and a military person.”
