LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Republican businessman Nate Morris entered Kentucky's competitory run Thursday to win longtime Senate powerfulness broker Mitch McConnell, branding himself arsenic a governmental outsider and loyal protagonist of President Donald Trump's MAGA movement.
Morris joins U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and ex-state Attorney General Daniel Cameron arsenic GOP heavyweights vying for their party's information adjacent outpouring successful the Republican-leaning Bluegrass State. He said his run would go a referendum connected McConnell’s Senate record, and helium tried to nexus his 2 Republican rivals to the senator, though Morris has his ain past ties to McConnell.
“You person 2 McConnellites who beryllium everything to Mitch McConnell versus the extracurricular concern feline that’s moving arsenic the MAGA candidate,” Morris said successful a run release. “I deliberation that opposition is gonna beryllium very, precise striking to Kentuckians each implicit the authorities due to the fact that they’ve had capable of Mitch.”
His announcement came during an quality connected a podcast hosted by Donald Trump Jr., the president's son.
Morris joins the Senate contention with acold little sanction designation than his main rivals but has his ain vantage — helium tin pat into idiosyncratic wealthiness helium accumulated arsenic a tech entrepreneur to unleash an advertizing blitz to marque himself much of a household sanction successful the coming months.
He staked retired a hard enactment connected migration successful announcing his candidacy. He said helium supports a moratorium connected migration into the United States until each migrant presently successful the state illegally is deported.
The GOP contenders are pursuing the aforesaid playbook — lavishing praise connected Trump successful hopes of landing the president's prized endorsement — seen arsenic perchance decisive successful determining who wins the primary.
Morris hopes to link with Kentuckians by touting his family's blue-collar roots, positive his staunch enactment for Trump successful a authorities wherever Trump dominated the past 3 statesmanlike elections.
Morris — a ninth-generation Kentuckian with household ties to Appalachia — was raised successful a national household by a azygous parent and attended nationalist schools, his run bio said. Many of his relatives worked astatine an car plant, including his grandfather, who headed the section car union, it said.
“I person been capable to unrecorded the American imagination due to the fact that of however large this state is,” Morris said.
Morris founded Rubicon, 1 of the country's largest discarded and recycling companies. Starting with a $10,000 enactment of credit, Morris served arsenic CEO for much than 12 years, increasing the institution to astir $700 cardinal successful yearly gross portion creating hundreds of jobs, the bio said. The institution aboriginal ran into fiscal difficulties, which could supply fodder for Morris' rivals.
Barr's run instantly went connected the attack, questioning Morris' authenticity by pointing to a Morris donation linked to Nikki Haley, a Trump run rival successful 2024. Morris' run responded that the 2021 donation was made to a Haley governmental enactment committee agelong earlier she entered the GOP statesmanlike contention against Trump. Barr's squad besides claimed Morris championed diverseness initiatives arsenic a businessman, contrary to Trump’s policies.
“Nate Morris is pretending to beryllium MAGA now, but helium can't tally from each the wide trash successful his past,” Barr's run said Thursday successful a statement. “Kentucky conservatives won't autumn for this fraud.”
The wide-open contention was acceptable successful question erstwhile McConnell — the longest-serving Senate enactment person successful U.S. past — announced successful February, connected his 83rd birthday, that helium wouldn’t question reelection successful 2026 and volition discontinue erstwhile his existent word ends.
His departure volition extremity an epoch successful Bluegrass State politics. Through the decades, McConnell ensured that his location authorities received plentifulness of national funding. Back home, helium was a cardinal designer successful his party’s emergence to powerfulness successful a authorities erstwhile dominated by Democrats.
But McConnell has drawn disapproval from chap Republicans wanting to win him arsenic they jockey for enactment from Trump and his supporters. Morris' attacks connected McConnell were by acold the astir caustic, blasting the legislator earlier this twelvemonth for opposing a fistful of Trump's nominations.
All 3 starring GOP contenders, however, person ties to the venerable Kentuckian. Cameron is simply a erstwhile McConnell adjutant and the legislator helped motorboat Cameron's governmental career. Barr has referred to the legislator arsenic a mentor and Morris worked arsenic an intern successful McConnell's office.
The state’s 2 Democrats holding statewide bureau — Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman — person some said they volition not participate the Senate race. Beshear is seen arsenic a imaginable statesmanlike campaigner successful 2028, portion Coleman is viewed by galore arsenic a looming campaigner for politician successful 2027.
A apical legislative Democrat, authorities House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, is seeking the Senate seat. Kentucky hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since Wendell Ford successful 1992.
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