# GOP Senate hopefuls skip KET debate as primary heats up  
**Published:** 2026-04-20T20:31:10.000Z  
**Source:** [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/gop-senate-hopefuls-skip-ket-debate-as-primary-heats-up

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Two of the top Republican candidates for Kentucky's open U.S. Senate seat declined to participate in a Kentucky Educational Television debate Monday](https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/), with U.S. Rep. Andy Barr citing the broadcaster's affiliation with PBS as his reason for staying away.

[The race to replace retiring seven-term Senator Mitch McConnell represents the first open Senate election in Kentucky since 2010](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky). [Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron appeared as the sole Republican candidate on the KET program, while U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Lexington businessman Nate Morris did not participate](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky,_2026).

Barr campaign spokesman Alex Bellizzi said the congressman would not appear on "a left-wing outlet that Andy Barr and President Trump defunded," pointing to [a federal judge's blocking of Trump administration efforts to end federal funding for PBS and NPR last month](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-blocks-trumps-executive-order-to-end-federal-funding-for-pbs-and-npr). "Why would any Republican appear on PBS, a left-wing outlet," Bellizzi said, adding that "we hope the three people watching enjoy the program."

[The three Republican frontrunners — Barr, Cameron and Morris — are leading in polling, fundraising, endorsements and media attention](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky,_2026) in a crowded GOP primary. [Recent polling shows Barr with 28% support, Cameron at 21% and Morris at 15%, with 29% undecided](https://emersoncollegepolling.com/kentucky-2026-poll-barr-maintains-edge-in-gop-primary-as-booker-gains-among-democratic-voters/).

The debate included Democratic candidates [Charles Booker, Amy McGrath and Dale Romans, along with other Democratic contenders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky). The program, moderated by KET's Renee Shaw, aired at 8 p.m. on statewide public television and online.

[KET invited candidates based on criteria including whether they reported raising or spending at least $100,000 on either their January year-end report or April quarterly report required by the Federal Election Commission](https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/).

Cameron highlighted his solo appearance in a social media post before the debate, saying "this race is about trust, track record, and who will stand firm for our values in Washington."

Meanwhile, debate participation disputes have extended to other Kentucky races. [In the 4th Congressional District, GOP incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie criticized his Trump-endorsed primary challenger Ed Gallrein for not agreeing to debates, sharing an online photo of himself shaking hands with an empty seat from a Saturday debate](https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/). KET is scheduled to host a debate for that race on May 4.

## Sources

- [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/)
- [Wikipedia - 2026 United States Senate election in Kentucky](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky)
- [Ballotpedia - United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2026](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky,_2026)
- [PBS - Judge blocks Trump's executive order to end federal funding for PBS and NPR](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-blocks-trumps-executive-order-to-end-federal-funding-for-pbs-and-npr)
- [Emerson College Polling - Kentucky 2026 Poll: Barr Maintains Edge in GOP Primary](https://emersoncollegepolling.com/kentucky-2026-poll-barr-maintains-edge-in-gop-primary-as-booker-gains-among-democratic-voters/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Lantern, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentuckylantern.com/briefs/two-top-kentucky-gop-candidates-for-us-senate-spurn-ket-debate/.