EXCLUSIVE: Ted Budd Endorses Andy Barr In Kentucky Senate Race To Replace Mitch McConnell

Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd is throwing his support behind Republican Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr in the hotly-contested 2026 GOP primary to succeed Mitch McConnell in the Senate.

Barr is vying for the Republican nomination against businessman Nate Morris and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. In an exclusive statement to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation, Budd praised Barr for his work in Congress advancing the “America First agenda” and argued the Kentucky Republican would be a close ally of President Donald Trump if elected to the upper chamber.

“Andy will be a leading conservative with me in the Senate, will fight with us to secure the border, and will support a strong national security for America,” Budd said in a statement. “He stands for our values, is pro-life, pro-second amendment and is leading the fight to get men out of girls’ sports.”

“Kentucky could send no one better than my friend Andy Barr to the U.S. Senate, and I’m with him 100% in this campaign,” Budd added.

In a statement, Barr said he was “honored” to have Budd’s endorsement, adding, “I look forward to working with him to grow our economy and cut wasteful spending, to win the strategic competition with China, and to seal our border once and for all.”

Budd secured the president’s endorsement during his successful 2022 Senate run against Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley and has been a stalwart supporter of the president’s agenda in the upper chamber.

The endorsement comes after Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik also announced