Republican candidates for Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat set the tone for their campaigns ahead of next year’s primary during the state party’s Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night.
While the thorny primary was at the center of the evening, the influence of outgoing U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on the party was clear. Speakers throughout the night sang McConnell’s praises, including West Virginia U.S. Sen. Jim Justice, who gave the keynote address.
Chairman Robert Benvenuti said the party has $2.3 million on hand heading into 2026 elections. About 850 tickets were sold for the dinner, held at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington. Outside, dozens with Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance protested.
Scott Jennings, a former McConnell staffer who has gained national notoriety as a commentator on CNN, was the emcee for the dinner. He opened the program with a promise to “roast Democrats” and touted wins by Republicans at the national level — particularly President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
“They love it when we trash each other. They rejoice. It’s their only hope,” Jennings said of Democrats. “They can’t beat us, so they’re trying to will into existence a future where we beat ourselves through division and discord, but it’s not true. Whatever intra-party conversations we’re ever having, we all in this room know the true mission is to save our country.”
However, division is front and center in the GOP primary to replace McConnell. The primary is in May, a little over eight months away.
On Saturday night, the top contenders, former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, Lexington businessman Nate Morris and Elizabethtown businessman Michael Farris, all fresh from speeches at the annual Fancy Farm Picnic last weekend, largely restated their main campaign points.
Morris was the last of the top three candidates to speak, but he used his remarks to respond to a question McConnell had asked at a Republican breakfast before the picnic, why “one of the candidates running for my office wants to be different” than him as the longest-serving party leader in the U.S. Senate.
“First and foremost, I don’t want to be the longest-serving anything in U.S. history,” Morris said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m running. I think that politics should not be a career, and we know that career politicians have run our country off a cliff.”
He then asked the crowd to think of the “career politicians” who “who stabbed us in the back” when the president came under fire from members of his party, such as when McConnell criticized Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“I’m seeking this seat with term limits in mind. I’m going to serve two terms, and I think that’s enough. I think that’s enough to get done what we need to get done in Washington,” Morris said, before adding that he strongly believes the U.S. needs a “full moratorium” on new immigration to the country after deporting all people in the U.S. without permanent legal status.
Cameron opened his remarks to say he’s “not running against someone. I’m running for something.” He touted his record as the state’s attorney general and reiterated his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and transgender women and girls playing in female sports.
“We need an American built on merit, excellence and intelligence,” Cameron said.
Barr cited the Democratic Party’s low approval nationwide and emphasized his record voting for Trump’s agenda in Congress, such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this year. The congressman highlighted last week’s news that Apple plans to expand glass production in Harrodsburg, which is in his Central Kentucky district, and attributed the decision to the president’s trade and domestic manufacturing policies.
Barr also spoke about his recently filed legislation to codify a Trump executive order that prohibits transgender women and girls playing in women’s and girls’ sports. Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who has vocally opposed including transgender women and girls in female sports, is supportive of the legislation, he noted.
“As your next senator, I will keep males out of our daughters’ private spaces,” Barr said.
Lifetime achievement award squabble
McConnell addressed the crowd to give a lifetime achievement award to Cathy Bell, a longtime Republican who is now the state party treasurer and has served in other roles for decades.
McConnell presented Bell with the surprise award during the dinner. However, the Morris campaign had been convinced the award was going to go to McConnell, who Morris has repeatedly blasted as insufficiently loyal to Trump. Morris’ campaign had asked the Republican Party of Kentucky to deny McConnell the award.
“I think they saw the writing on the wall, and they saw that we were contrasting why he shouldn’t get that award,” Morris told reporters after the dinner. A spokesperson for the state party declined further comment about the award
But speakers throughout the evening said McConnell has contributed to the party’s dominance over the past few decades.
“We are blessed to stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and to have the opportunity to build on the momentum for the betterment of the commonwealth and for America. We are grateful for the leaders who have laid the groundwork for our Kentucky success, especially Leader McConnell,” Benvenuti said “And Leader McConnell — thanks for never forgetting the importance of a strong state party.”
Justice told the crowd to give McConnell another round of applause before recalling how McConnell had convinced him to run for U.S. Senate. Justice, the former governor of West Virginia, was elected last year.