Republican Andy Barr is running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky's Nov. 3 general election. Barr has represented Kentucky's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2013, according to BallotReady.

He faces two opponents. Democrat Charles Booker and Kentucky Party candidate Christopher Campbell are also on the ballot. Boone County voters will see the race on their ballots.

Barr won the Republican primary on May 19 for what Kentucky Lantern described as "Mitch McConnell's Senate seat."

Candidate information

  • Full name: Garland Hale "Andy" Barr IV
  • Party: Republican
  • Born: July 24, 1973, Lexington, Kentucky
  • Education: Henry Clay High School (1992); bachelor's degree in government and philosophy, University of Virginia (1996); juris doctor, University of Kentucky (2001)

Experience and public service

Barr worked as a legislative assistant in the office of U.S. Rep. Jim Talent from 1996 to 1998, according to BallotReady. He practiced law at Stites & Harbison from 2001 to 2004 and served as deputy general counsel to Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher in 2007.

He later worked at Kinkead & Stilz from 2008 to 2011 and Miller Wells from 2011 to 2012 before entering Congress, according to BallotReady. He taught constitutional law part-time at the University of Kentucky from 2008 to 2011, according to his Wikipedia biography.

In the U.S. House, Barr has chaired the Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Subcommittee on the Financial Services Committee. He served on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party from 2023 to 2025. He sits on the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to his congressional biography.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Barr's campaign websites and BallotReady questionnaire responses. They reflect the candidate's own statements.

Economy and taxes: Barr said he voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and wants to make those tax cuts permanent. He said he supports cutting taxes for Kentuckians and ending what he called "socialist spending sprees in Washington." On his campaign site, Barr said inflation cost the average American family $3,500 in 2021, citing a University of Pennsylvania Wharton study.

Energy: Barr said he supports Kentucky coal and has a plan to "bring back clean, beautiful coal, to create jobs, lower energy costs, and attract industries of the future to Kentucky." He said he cosponsored the Renewable Fuel Standard Elimination Act, which would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's renewable fuel program.

Immigration and border security: Barr said he supports restarting border wall construction, reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy, ending catch and release, hiring more border agents and deporting people in the country illegally.

Healthcare: Barr said he supported repealing the individual mandate for health insurance. Barr said he also backed the Small Business Fairness Act to let small businesses band together for lower-cost insurance plans.

Law enforcement and public safety: Barr said he supports police and believes criminals who attack law enforcement should face serious consequences. He also described himself as a strong supporter of the Kentucky National Guard and its federal mission.

Endorsements

Barr has received endorsements from the following individuals and organizations, according to the sources noted:

  • Donald Trump, president of the United States, according to the Courier-Journal
  • John Thune, U.S. Senate Republican leader, according to Kentucky Lantern
  • Tim Scott, National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to Kentucky Lantern
  • Brett Guthrie, U.S. House of Representatives (Kentucky), according to Kentucky Lantern
  • Eagle Forum, according to BallotReady
  • American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to BallotReady
  • Kentucky Right to Life Association, according to BallotReady

Policy responses in this profile come from the candidate's campaign websites and BallotReady questionnaire. The Florence-Union Journal did not interview the candidate for this article.