It’s beginning to look a lot like 2020 — at least in one Kentucky Democratic primary.
Charles Booker is seriously considering a third run for U.S. Senate in 2026, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Booker has not yet responded directly to a Herald-Leader request for comment on his 2026 plans.
Booker won the nomination in 2022, two years after coming from behind to nearly claim it in 2020 against Amy McGrath, who announced early this month she is running again in 2026.
In 2022, Booker fell to incumbent Republican Sen. Rand Paul by about 24 percentage points.
In both runs, Booker leaned into a progressive message. He focused on racial justice and economic inequality, touring the state with his “hood to the holler” slogan, making connections between poor urban centers like his native West Louisville and poor rural places like parts of Eastern Kentucky.
He almost caught lightning in a bottle in 2020 against McGrath, who had already raised millions when he got in the race, but fell short by about three percentage points in the Democratic primary. McGrath fell to Sen. Mitch McConnell, whose seat is open in 2026, that year by about 20 points.
Booker had been leading Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement before rumblings about his political future grew. In the weeks since he stepped down from that office last month, Booker, a former state representative from Louisville, has grown more active on social media and has become a mainstay at Democratic and progressive demonstrations like the massive “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump on Oct. 18.
The Democratic field for U.S. Senate in 2026 is already somewhat crowded, especially for a position that Democrats have failed to win since 1992. McGrath is running against House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville; Logan Forsythe, a Lexington attorney and former U.S. Secret Service agent; and Joel Willett, a Louisville native and former CIA officer.
With Booker and Louisville horse trainer Dale Romans both reportedly eyeing runs, it could become a six-person race.
On the GOP side, three top candidates have emerged: former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, 6th Congressional District Rep. Andy Barr and Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris. Michael Faris, an Elizabethtown businessman, is also running as a Republican.
Read the rest at the Herald-Leader.
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