The Kentucky Democrat, who nearly lost her 2020 primary despite a 40-to-1 spending advantage, is ‘seriously considering’ a 2026 bid
Amy McGrath, the Kentucky Democrat who raised nearly $100 million trying to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell (R.) in 2020 only to lose by 20 points, is reportedly eyeing a second run for Senate in 2026.
A source close to McGrath told the Lexington Herald-Leader the twice-failed candidate—McGrath also lost a 2018 House campaign against Republican incumbent Andy Barr—is “seriously considering” a run for McConnell’s open seat. It’s great news for Senate Republicans, who would no doubt enjoy a replay of McGrath’s 2020 campaign.
McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot, was the subject of fawning coverage from mainstream media outlets that called her “credible” and dubbed McConnell “the least popular senator in the country.” Campaign contributions rolled in from there, with McGrath raising more than $94 million over the course of the race.
The bulk of that cash, however, came from out of state, and McGrath never caught on with Kentuckians. She nearly lost her June 2020 primary against progressive state legislator Charles Booker, whom she outspent 40-to-1. Months later, McConnell trounced her, receiving 58 percent of the vote to McGrath’s 38 percent.
McGrath was not the only red-state Democrat to raise big money only to lose by a big margin in the 2020 battle for a Senate majority. South Carolina’s Jaime Harrison and Texas’s M.J. Hegar combined to burn through roughly $100 million themselves, and both lost to their Republican opponents by 10 points. The money could have gone to good use in North Carolina, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R.) won his reelection bid by less than 2 points.
While McGrath certainly had the resources to run a competent campaign, her bid to unseat McConnell was defined by a string of gaffes and embarrassments. She faced criticism from veterans after she compared supporting her campaign to serving in uniform. She was forced to amend a campaign ad after two coal miners suffering from black lung said she featured them in the ad without their consent and exploited their plight for political gain. And a Kentucky war memorial admonished her after she held a “prohibited” campaign event at the site, ignoring its blanket ban on political events.
Should McGrath enter the race, Republicans will no doubt scrutinize her campaign launch, given that her 2020 launch video did not include the word “Kentucky.”
