# Trump allies back Barr as Cameron makes a play for Liberty GOP in Kentucky Senate primary  
**Published:** 2026-05-13T09:00:47.000Z  
**Source:** [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/13/trump-allies-back-barr-as-cameron-makes-a-play-for-liberty-gop-in-kentucky-senate-primary/)  
**Republished from:** [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/13/trump-allies-back-barr-as-cameron-makes-a-play-for-liberty-gop-in-kentucky-senate-primary/) (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)  
**Canonical:** https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/13/trump-allies-back-barr-as-cameron-makes-a-play-for-liberty-gop-in-kentucky-senate-primary/

By McKenna Horsley, [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com) · May 13, 2026

![](https://kentuckylantern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_6530-1024x797.jpg) (U.S. Rep. Andy Barr sits with a group of local Republican officials and party leaders at a stop in Glasgow. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley))

GLASGOW — When President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to become the next senator from Kentucky the day before the Kentucky Derby, some believed the Republican primary to be over.

But Barr says his campaign is “working harder than ever” ahead of the May 19 election.

“I run every race that I’ve ever had, as if I’m 10 points down, and this is no different. I believe in humility and work ethic, and this thing is not over until it’s over, until the polls close and the votes are counted,” Barr said in Glasgow after meeting with local Republican officials and party leaders. “As I said before, the endorsement that I am ultimately seeking is the endorsement of the voters of Kentucky, and that pertains to the election in November.”

Barr told the Kentucky Lantern in a recent interview the [president’s endorsement](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/01/trump-causes-political-earthquake-in-ky-backing-barr-alvarado-in-u-s-senate-house-races/) was “a dam break and that we’re seeing a huge influx of additional support.” Additional endorsements for Barr poured in after the president shared his backing on Truth Social — including from Senate Republican Leader[John Thune](https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2051225991243084113?s=20), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair[Tim Scott,](https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2051225991243084113?s=20) Kentucky U.S. Rep. [Brett Guthrie](https://x.com/barrforsenate/status/2051385064244576478?s=20) and Republican megadonors [Joe and Kelly Craft](https://x.com/KellyCraftKY/status/2050576076489781701?s=20).

Barr, who has represented Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013, also believes he’s the only candidate in the Republican primary who can “hit the ground running on day one with a proven track record of delivering conservative wins, and who has the experience to be not only a Republican member of the Senate, but an effective voice for Kentucky in the Senate.”

He argued because of his record in Congress, he’s best poised to take constituents’ requests from Kentucky and find solutions at the federal level. On Wednesday, May 6, Barr met with the Barren County GOP officials and party leaders in a casual, roundtable discussion about not only the state of the Senate race, but also how federal issues are playing out locally. The local officials brought up issues like stalled disbursement of FEMA aid following storms earlier this year and how some senior SNAP recipients cannot use their assistance to buy local meat products.

[![](https://kentuckylantern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_6375.jpg)](https://kentuckylantern.com/img_6375/)Former Attorney General Daniel Cameron greets supporters during an Oldham County stop on his Senate campaign. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

“I think what’s important about this endorsement for Kentuckians who may be fans of the president, and for Kentuckians who may not necessarily be supporters of the president, why this matters is that I can be a more effective senator because I have a close relationship with this president and this administration,” Barr said.

Though [several candidates](https://kentuckylantern.com/voter-guides/contests/ussenategop/) will be on the ballot, the primary has shaped up to be a two-man race between Barr and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron. After the president endorsed Barr, Cameron held [a press conference on May 5](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/05/cameron-vows-to-keep-fighting-in-ky-gop-senate-primary-despite-trump-endorsement-of-barr/) in which he vowed to continue campaigning.

Another top candidate, Lexington businessman Nate Morris ended his campaign after the Trump endorsement and backed Barr. The president said he would appoint Morris to an unspecified ambassadorship. A White House spokesperson did not return an inquiry seeking more details about Morris’ future role.

Barr told the Barren County attendees he and Morris have known each other for 20 years before the primary. On the campaign trail, the two were often at odds with each other and [lobbied fierce remarks](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/03/16/kentucky-gop-senate-candidates-talk-immigration-and-iran-war-in-first-debate/) back and forth. The congressman said he was told a week before the endorsement to have his phone ready, but was unaware of the sequencing that was happening between the White House and Morris.

Asked by the Lantern afterwards what it is now like to be on the same side, Barr said “it’s better.”

“I’d rather have him on my team than on the other team, and he is on my team now, and I really appreciate the fact, not only did Nate endorse me, he has asked all of his supporters to vote for me, and we’re actually seeing that materialize.”

However, Cameron is also making a play for those voters. He said in the Tuesday press conference that Morris supporters had reached out to him to say they were backing the Cameron campaign.

“Andy Barr spent 10 months on the campaign trail and at Lincoln dinners … saying that he thought competition was good for the Republican Party,” Cameron said. “I agree with him. Competition is good. If anyone should have to drop out of this race, it’s certainly not me.”

Blake Gober, Barr’s former campaign manager, told the Lantern he did not think there were enough Morris voters to make a huge difference in the outcome of the race, adding “I think that was the problem for Nate Morris, and that’s why he dropped out.”

“I think quite a few of them will go to Andy. Quite a few of them will go to Daniel. I think you’re seeing online, quite a few of them are going to Michael Faris, and that’s the nightmare scenario for Daniel Cameron,” Gober added. [Michael Faris](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/04/07/ky-democratic-senate-candidates-talk-government-shutdowns-and-trumps-iran-war-in-forum/), an Elizabethtown businessman, has been running a grassroots campaign though he’s lagged behind fundraising against Barr and Cameron

When asked if Cameron could carve out a lane with support from Libertarian Republicans in Northern Kentucky ahead of the primary, Gober said: “ Political miracles have happened, but they’re miracles for a reason.”

Yet Cameron is attempting to align himself with the hard-right leaders. State lawmakers who are part of the Liberty Caucus have endorsed Cameron, such as state Reps. Savannah Maddox and TJ Roberts.

#### Cameron’s message

With the 4th Congressional Republican primary shaping up as a test between a Trump-endorsed candidate, Ed Gallrein, and incumbent Libertarian U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, that race could be a factor in how voters in the region make decisions for U.S. Senate.

Before Trump publicly made his endorsement, Cameron told supporters during a stop in Oldham County, which is in the far west of the 4th Congressional District, that “because of a big race in this district, we’re going to see some increased turnout,” and stressed the importance of making it to the polls.

Afterwards, Cameron told the Lantern he believes the May primary will be a “turnout election.” In recent years, Kentucky primaries often gain lower turnout. The statewide turnout [in 2024](https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/2024P%20Turnout%20Age%20Gender%20Party.pdf) — a presidential election year — was nearly 13%.[In 2023](https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/Voter%20Turnout%20Age%20Sex%20Party%202023P.pdf), when the governor’s race was on the ballot, the turnout was 14.5%.

While the question of Trump endorsing a candidate still loomed, Cameron noted his own history of backing the president. He acted as a surrogate for the president’s 2024 campaign at the annual [Fancy Farm Picnic](https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/08/03/gop-bashes-beshear-harris-at-fancy-farm-as-crowd-is-energized-by-school-funding-amendment/). Before that, Trump endorsed Cameron for the [2023 governor’s race](https://kentuckylantern.com/2023/11/07/andy-beshear-wins-second-term-as-kentucky-governor/), which he later lost to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

“I think Kentuckians want somebody that supports President Trump and the America First agenda…. and they want someone who’s going to stand up for the interest of Kentucky,” Cameron said. “And I think those things run alongside each other, are parallel to each other, and they are represented in the America First agenda. And so I talk about lower taxes, energy independence or health care costs. These are all things that President Trump is talking about.”

Oldham County Sheriff Tim Wakefield, who had previously endorsed Cameron, told the Lantern during the event he had done so because Cameron is “a man of faith” and “stands up for what he believes in.”

“He is not trying to win this campaign by being attached to President Trump,” Wakefield said. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Trump, but he (Cameron) is doing it on his own principles.”

Wakefield added that he also feels Cameron will be able to address each county’s needs at the national level.

“He’s not just the big man on the hill that lets his peons tell him what’s going on. He’s been out here,” the sheriff said. “He’s got a feel for what people need, and I think that he will listen to each county individually and tailor that response to what they need, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

However, Gober still believes the race is Barr’s to win.

“Daniel’s a great candidate. He’s a great guy,” Gober said. “He’s likable, but I think that there are a lot of people that would be like, ‘We like Daniel, but Andy Barr is President Trump’s man, and therefore he’s also our man.’”

## Sources

- [Kentucky Lantern](https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/05/13/trump-allies-back-barr-as-cameron-makes-a-play-for-liberty-gop-in-kentucky-senate-primary/)