Kentucky senate candidates avoid McConnell endorsement, spar over ties to ex-leader

The race for former GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's seat continues to be a battle as declared candidates debate who has closer ties to the outgoing senator. 

Congressman Andy Barr, former gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris, who are all currently running for his soon-vacant seat, have not held back when it comes to accusing each other of who’s closer to the longtime senator.

Cameron, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his Kentucky governor’s race defeat to Democrat Andy Beshear in 2023, served as legal counsel to McConnell from 2015 to 2017. President Trump noted in a Truth Social post that "Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell."

Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks to a crowd of supporters at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Shelbyville, Kentucky, on Nov. 3, 2023. (Fox News/Brandon Gillespie)

GOV. BESHEAR WEIGHING 2028 DEMOCRATIC BID FOR PRESIDENCY

However, the former gubernatorial candidate zeroed in on Nate Morris’s ties to McConnell in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"Nate Morris has an authenticity problem," Cameron told Fox. "He got his start in politics working for McConnell."

"Now, he pretends there is some virtue in taking cheap shots at an 83-year-old man," Cameron added. "Nate’s not brave, he’s an opportunist. That explains why he thought it was a good idea to build a company that was opposed to the America First Agenda in every way, from hiring Obama strategist David Plouffe to sit on his board to pushing radical DEI policies and supporting BLM."

Morris served as an intern during his sophomore year of college in McConnell’s office in 2000 and has publicly donated to the former leader's senate committee, per public filings, on several occasions. One donation included a personal maximum of $2,600 in 2014. 

Chairman and CEO of Rubicon, Nate Morris, attends the 2022 Concordia Lexington Summit reception at Lexington Marriott City Center on April 6, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images for Concordia)

"I’m proud to be the only candidate in this race fighting for President Trump’s agenda, not Mitch McConnell’s," Morris told Fox News Digital. 

KENTUCKY OUTSIDER'S CAMPAIGN VOW TO 'CLEAN UP' WASHINGTON, DC GOES VIRAL

Conor McGuinness, a spokesperson for Morris, honed in on both Barr and Cameron in a statement to Fox.

"Just last year Andy Barr went on TV to proclaim Mitch McConnell was his ‘mentor’ and said he wouldn’t oppose McConnell for as long as he is in office," McGuiness said. "Daniel Cameron’s last Twitter post [on a previously run account] is a glowing tribute to his ‘friend and mentor’ Mitch McConnell. Kentuckians know that Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron are fully-owned subsidiaries of Mitch McConnell and that Nate Morris is the only candidate Kentuckians can trust to bring an end to McConnell Inc."

As for Barr, his initial senate campaign fundraiser featured a number of McConnell’s previous donors as seen in an event flyer obtained by Fox News Digital, including GOP National Committeeman John McCarthy. McCarthy is a state lobbyist for the former senate leader and describes himself as an "avid fundraiser and advisor to US Senator Mitch McConnell."

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., makes his way to a House Republican Conference meeting with President Donald Trump on the budget reconciliation bill in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)

GAINES, REP. BARR TEAM UP FOR WOMEN’S SPORTS BILL: NOT A 'SOUTH PARK' SKIT ANYMORE

"Kentucky needs a Senator who’s been in the fight—not learning on the job or jumping on the bandwagon late," Barr told Fox News Digital. 

"I’m the only candidate who’s actually helped deliver the America First agenda and stood with President Trump when it mattered most. We need a proven conservative who gets results, not a phony trying to ride MAGA coattails to the Senate," Barr added.

McConnell’s reputation in the Bluegrass State is not what it used to be, despite his more than 40 years serving as one of two US senators from Kentucky. The former senate leader scored just a 2% "very favorable" rating in June 2024.

He scored a 6% approval rating in December 2023.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

President Donald Trump, left, and outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell have a contentious relationship. (AP Photo; Reuters)

McConnell’s reputation faced heavy criticism from Republicans after condemning President Donald Trump as "practically and morally responsible for provoking the events" that occurred on January 6th, as well as voting against Trump cabinet appointees Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Sen. McConnell’s office but did not receive responses. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X @MizellPreston