Kentucky Senate Primary Captures the GOP’s Internal Debate on Immigration

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From left: Then-Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron speaks to the Republican National Convention from Washington, D.C., August 25, 2020; businessman Nate Morris in a campaign image posted October 24, 2025; Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) attends a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, February 6, 2024.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters; Nate Morris/Facebook; Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Reuters

As the battle for the post-Trump Republican Party heats up, one 2026 midterm contest offers a useful look at where the MAGA movement and the GOP are headed on the foundational issue of immigration.

In the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), three candidates with differing views and records on immigration are vying for the GOP nomination — an all-but-guaranteed ticket to Washington, D.C., given Kentucky’s overwhelmingly Republican lean.

Matthew X. Wilson

About the Author

Matthew X. Wilson

Matthew X. Wilson is a former associate editor at National Review.

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