Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) endorsed Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is retiring.
The senators’ endorsements follow President Donald Trump, who on Friday endorsed Barr in the Republican primary set for May 19.
Trump asked businessman Nate Morris to drop out of the race before endorsing Barr, offering Morris a role in the administration as an ambassador, but the president did not specify the exact post. Morris, who was backed by Elon Musk, subsequently endorsed Barr.
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Thune touted Barr as a champion of conservative goals, citing several areas of his expertise as reason for the backing.
“Andy Barr is a proven leader who will hit the ground running on day one as Kentucly’s next U.S. Senator,” Thune said. “Andy is a fighter for the conservative movement and will strengthen our Senate Republican majority with his expertise on financial services, national security, energy policy, and more.”
Scott took an economic angle in his endorsement of Barr, adding that he will forward a “Trump agenda.”
“Andy Barr has been a conservative partner and ally in advancing economic opportunity,” Scott said. “I’m excited to endorse Andy because he’ll strengthen our Republican Senate Majority to deliver the Trump agenda and unleash economic prosperity.”
The GOP holds a 53-47 majority in the chamber. Republicans will be defending 22 of those seats in the midterm elections, with a total of 35 Senate seats up for grabs in November.
Barr is heading into the May primary election with a trove of endorsements, setting the stage for a competitive race as he takes on former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for the GOP nomination in the deep-red state.
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Cameron is familiar with the competition he is set to face, as he, too, received Trump’s endorsement in the GOP primary for governor in 2023. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) ultimately beat out Cameron in the general election.
Polling from late March shows Barr with a 7 percentage-point advantage over Cameron, up from 3 percentage points earlier in the year.
