Republican Rep. Andy Barr won Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, defeating former Democrat state Rep. Charles Booker to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, whose departure ends more than four decades in the chamber.

Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Barr about 90 minutes after polls closed. With about 38% of the vote counted, Barr was at 51.2%, with Booker at 46.9% and Christopher Campbell of the Kentucky Party at 1.9%.

Barr, a seven-term congressman from Lexington endorsed by President Donald Trump, kept the seat in Republican hands as the GOP fought to maintain its Senate majority in the midterm elections.

Barr’s victory marks a generational transition in Kentucky Republican politics, replacing one of the most powerful Senate leaders in American history with a close Trump ally.

McConnell, 84, announced in February 2025 that he would not seek an eighth term, ending a Senate career that began in January 1985. He served as the chamber’s Republican leader from 2007 through 2024, becoming the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.

Barr, 53, has represented Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District since 2013 and serves on the House Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

Trump endorsed Barr in May after the congressman emerged from a competitive Republican primary field. Barr emphasized his support for the president’s agenda, including tax cuts, border security, domestic energy production, and efforts to reduce the cost of living.

The congressman also campaigned on his experience in Washington and his ability to advance Republican priorities in the Senate.

Booker, a progressive Democrat from Louisville, previously challenged Republican Sen. Rand Paul in 2022 after unsuccessfully seeking the Democrat nomination against McConnell in 2020.

The former state legislator focused his latest campaign on affordability, economic inequality, healthcare and government corruption, arguing that Kentucky voters needed representation more responsive to working families.

Booker also sought support beyond traditional Democrat constituencies, portraying his campaign as a grassroots effort to challenge Washington’s political establishment.

Kentucky has remained firmly Republican in federal elections despite electing Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear to a second term in 2023.

McConnell won his final Senate election in 2020 by nearly 20 percentage points against Democrat Amy McGrath.

Barr’s election gives Republicans another six-year term in a seat they have held since McConnell first defeated Democrat incumbent Walter “Dee” Huddleston in 1984.

Barr’s departure from the House also opened Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, where Republican Ralph Alvarado faced Democrat Zach Dembo in one of the state’s most closely watched congressional contests.