Republican Rep. Andy Barr defeated Democrat Charles Booker on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to win Kentucky's open U.S. Senate seat, the Associated Press projected.

The race topped a packed Boone County ballot that also included contests for the 4th Congressional District, county judge/executive, and mayors in Florence and Union.

Barr, a Lexington native who has represented Kentucky's 6th Congressional District since 2013, will succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. He is set to begin a six-year term in January 2027, WLWT reported.

Unofficial statewide results

With about 80.1% of expected votes counted, 1,295,044 total votes had been tallied, according to NBC News, citing Associated Press data.

Candidate

Party

Percentage

Andy Barr

R

53.7%

Charles Booker

D

44.2%

Christopher Campbell

Kentucky Party

2.1%

Source: NBC News / Associated Press data, Nov. 3. An estimated 323,000 votes remained outstanding. Results are unofficial until certified.

All three candidates appeared on the Boone County sample ballot published by Boone County Clerk Justin Crigler. Boone County-level vote totals were not yet available.

What Barr and Booker ran on

Barr won the Republican primary with President Donald Trump's endorsement, beating a field that included former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris, according to the Courier-Journal. He outraised Booker by about $10 million and collected endorsements from six sitting U.S. senators, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the Courier-Journal reported.

Barr campaigned on lower taxes, border security and support for the president's legislative agenda, according to WLKY.

Booker, a former state legislator from Louisville, was making his third U.S. Senate bid. He lost to Sen. Rand Paul by 23 points in 2022 and won a close primary against Amy McGrath this cycle, according to Louisville Public Media. He focused on rising costs and access to health care, WLKY reported.

Gov. Andy Beshear and former President Barack Obama endorsed Booker in the closing days of the campaign, WLKY reported. Cook Political Report rated the seat "Solid Republican" heading into the election, according to Louisville Public Media.

McConnell's exit

McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, announced on Feb. 20, 2025, that he would not seek reelection, according to WVXU. He was first elected in 1984. Kentucky has not had a Democratic senator since 1999.