Rep. Andy Barr has maintained his early fundraising edge in the crowded Republican primary to succeed GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.
Barr raised $1.8 million between the beginning of July and the end of September and ended the quarter with $6.7 million in the bank, according to his Wednesday filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Barr’s robust war chest — three times larger than his two competitors’ combined — underscores his sustained momentum in the high-profile race. He also had a cash-on-hand advantage at the end of the second quarter.
Businessman Nate Morris raised $4 million, but the bulk of that — roughly $3 million — came from a personal loan, according to his Wednesday filing. He ended the third quarter with just over $1 million cash on hand.
Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron again posted modest fundraising numbers, raising $411,000 and ending the third quarter with just under $630,000 on hand, according to his filing. That follows relatively low second quarter fundraising, when he brought in just over $385,000, raising questions about the longevity of his campaign.
Kentucky’s Republican primary, shaping up to be among the most expensive and competitive 2026 Senate primaries, has emerged as a bellwether for the direction of the Republican Party.
All three leading GOP candidates interned for McConnell at some point in their career — but are now trying to distance themselves from the longtime Senate Republican leader. They are instead moving to embrace Trump, betting that an endorsement from the president would be a silver bullet in the state that he carried by 30 points in 2024.
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