An interesting development in today’s CJ:

Former Kentucky State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker (pictured above) is considering another Senate run in 2026, according to a Nov. 26 social media post.

In the Facebook post, Booker acknowledged calls for him to run for the Senate seat that U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican who was first elected to the office in 1984, will relinquish following the 2026 elections. …

In 2020, he was defeated in the primary for the Democratic nomination by Amy McGrath, who has announced she is running again in 2026. He ran again in 2022, winning the Democratic primary but losing to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the general election. …

Several Kentucky candidates on both sides of the aisle have announced campaigns for the U.S. Senate.

Republican candidates include former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Lexington businessman Nate Morris.

Democratic candidates include Kentucky State Rep. Pamela Stevenson, Lexington attorney and former U.S. Secret Service agent Logan Forsythe, former CEO of Cybermedia Technologies and Army veteran Joel Willett, thoroughbred trainer Dale Romans and McGrath.

We’re not quite sure what to make of this. The demographics for Booker in a statewide race aren’t encouraging. In the 2022 Senate race, Paul won by a huge margin: 61.8% to 38.2%. This story notes that Amy McGrath is also looking at a Senate race, but when she ran against Mitch McConnell in 2020, Mitch won 57.7% to 38.2%.

Honestly, the only way either one of them would have a chance to win a statewide Senate race is if the GOP candidate is Daniel Cameron, who is Black. The racial or gender dynamics shift considerably if there’s not a White guy on the ticket, and no matter what anyone says, race is an issue in Kentucky where 81% of the population is White and 8% is Black.

If Booker and McGrath have a shot at going to Washington, they should consider primary challenges in U.S. House races. Booker lives in the 3rd congressional district, a seat currently held by Democrat Morgan McGarvey, who sold his constituents out by supporting a “Charlie Kirk was a good guy even though he was a racist, sexist, xenophobic asshole” resolution in the House. He should also consider the 2026 Louisville mayoral race, since Craig Greenberg has sold his soul to Kristy Noem and ICE, threatening the future of the city’s immigrant population.

McGrath is in the 6th congressional district, a seat held by Andy Barr, who’s seeking McConnell’s Senate seat. In the 2018 congressional vote, she lost to Barr in a relatively close 51% to 48% vote. And the 6th district is ripe for a flip, since the Lexington area recently has more strongly voted blue than the Derby City.

More important, the state Democratic party should get its act together and guide these candidates to winnable seats, but the party seems more focused on corporate interests than the good of our neighborhoods.