Who is Charles Booker and what is Booker running on in the 2026 Kentucky Senate race?

Charles Booker is the Democratic candidate for Kentucky U.S. Senate. Former Kentucky state representative from Louisville and the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee; progressive who beat Amy McGrath in the 2026 primary. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Open seat (Mitch McConnell retiring).
• Rating: Solid R (Cook, Sabato, Inside Elections per Wikipedia, 2026).
• Polling: Barr 49.8, Booker 39.2 (RaceToTheWH polling average through Aug 27, 2026).

Why Booker is behind

• Kentucky is deeply Republican; Democrats have not won a Kentucky Senate seat since 1992.
• Barr carries Trump’s endorsement, which proved decisive in his 60.5% to 30.8% primary win over Daniel Cameron.
• Large money gap: Barr raised about $9.98M vs Booker’s $1.10M as of June 30, 2026.
• Polling average shows Barr up about 10 points.

What Booker is running on

• Healthcare. Supports Medicare for All, calling health care a human right.
• Economy. Backs universal basic income and universal pre-K.
• Workers. Wants to raise wages, protect workers and strengthen Social Security (Apr 2026).
• Foreign policy. Says only Congress can declare war and opposes Middle East wars; pledged not to take AIPAC money (Mar 2026).
• Abortion. Supports abortion rights (2020 position).

In Booker’s own words

“The majority of Kentuckians understand that health care is a human right, which is why they support policies just like Medicare for All.”

The other candidates

• Andy Barr (R)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.