Who will replace McConnell? These are the main candidates to succeed him in the Senate

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced his permanent retirement from the Senate at the end of his term. In January 2027, the 83-year-old Republican will leave the upper chamber after more than 40 years and there are several names interested in his seat. A most competitive Republican primary is expected and among the possible contenders are Daniel Cameron (already announced his candidacy), Kelly Craft, Andy Barr and Nate Morris.

The Republican senator made the news public from the Senate floor. There, he told his colleagues that he would not seek a seventh term and would retire once the 119th Congress is over.

"Seven times my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate ... Representing our Commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last," he said.

Who will replace Mitch McConnell in the Senate?

The Republican was last elected in November 2020, when he defeated Amy McGrath by a difference of 19 percentage points. According to his words, he will complete the remainder of his term until January 2027 and the elections to define his successor will take place in November 2026.

Despite the fact that the elections are almost two years away, there are already several people interested in taking McConnell's historic seat. One of them could not wait any longer and announced his candidacy hours after the senator's speech.

Daniel Cameron

Daniel Cameron is 39 years old and is one of the most recognized political figures of the Republican Party in the Bluegrass State. In 2019 he was elected attorney general, drawing attention as the first African-American to hold the office in Kentuky. In 2023 he unsuccessfully took aim at the governorship. Although he triumphed in the Republican primary with the support of Donald Trump, he was defeated in the general election by Democrat Andy Beshear.

He was the first to announce his Senate candidacy and did so on his X account. "Kentucky, it's time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let's get it done," he wrote.

Cameron came to the nation's attention during the Republican National Convention in 2020. Although he arrived as a virtual unknown at that podium, he seized his moment and left one of the event's most memorable speeches.

"I think often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom. And as I think of those giants and their broad shoulders, I also think about Joe Biden, who says, if you aren’t voting for me, 'you ain’t Black.' Who argued that Republicans would put us 'back in chains.' Who says there is no 'diversity' of thought in the Black community? Mr. Vice President look at me, I am Black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own. And you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin," he uttered at the time.

Trump referred to him as a "young star" who has done an "outstanding" job as attorney general, for which he won endorsement in the aforementioned gubernatorial election. Cameron based his campaign on his record in office, particularly in defending voters' freedoms, fighting the opioid epidemic, stopping critical race theory in schools, prioritizing the right to life and being tough on crime.

Cameron now runs 1792 Exchange, a non-profit organization he created to fight "woke capitalism." He also happens to be one of McConnell's protégés, for whom he worked as legal counsel between 2017 and 2019.

Andy Barr

Andy Barr, a Republican congressman for Kentucky's 6th congressional district, also has his eye on McConnell's seat. He has long been flirting with the idea of running, going so far as to say his state needs "a U.S. senator who will support President Trump."

"As I’ve said before this announcement, I am considering running for Senate because Kentucky deserves a Senator who will fight for President Trump and the America First Agenda. I’ve done that every day in the House and would do so in the Senate. I’m encouraged by the outpouring of support and my family and I will be making a decision about our future soon," he posted on X after McConnell's announcement.

Barr arrived in the House in January 2013 and is currently a member of the House Financial Services Committee, where he serves as chairman of the influential Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee.

He describes himself as "an advocate for Kentucky's families, farmers and small business owners," although his potential candidacy is already being criticized by the Club for Growth.

On the eve of his decision, they are already funding television ads against him. Specifically, for allegedly voting "in favor of increasing federal spending by trillions of dollars."

Nate Morris

The third person interested in succeeding McConnell is businessman Nate Morris. He is the president and CEO of Morris Industries, based in the city of Lexington.

He is a well-known Kentucky Republican fundraiser, from the George W. Bush campaign in 2004 to Trump today. In 2024, he was among the top donors to Trump's campaign, contributing $50,000. In turn, he is very close to Senator Rand Paul, for whom he also raised money, both for his Senate campaigns and for the 2016 presidential campaign.

Hours after McConnell's announcement, he posted a curious video on his X account, where he criticized Cameron and Barr, but without officially announcing his candidacy.

"The most important question in the Kentucky Senate race: Are we going to elect another Mitch McConnell puppet who will betray President Trump? Or are we going to elect an America First outsider who will break McConnell's control of this seat? It's time to take out the trash," he said on X.

Kelly Craft

Although she gave no indication of being interested in running, Kelly Craft is another option in the running. She served as ambassador to Canada and the United Nations during the first Trump Administration and was a candidate for governor in 2023, coming in third place in the Republican primary.

She focused that campaign on reducing crime at the state level, as well as creating new jobs, citing her work as an ambassador.

The 62-year-old businesswoman currently heads Kelly G. Knight LLC, a Lexington-based business advisory firm. Both she and her husband, Joe Craft, have played key roles in donating their own money and organizing fundraising events for Republican causes.