LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — With less than two weeks until election day, candidates running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky are traveling the state hoping to earn votes — and experts say President Donald Trump's involvement has shifted the state of the race.
Kentucky has two U.S. Senate primaries. On the Democratic side, limited polling suggests voters are leaning toward one candidate. On the Republican side, experts say the race has become a referendum on Trump himself.
Trump shook up the Republican primary last week when he officially endorsed Andy Barr for U.S. Senate. While Trump has historically performed well in Kentucky, experts say the race is not over.
Dr. Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said the race has turned into a referendum.
"Before people really didn't have a clear reason why they'd choose Barr or Cameron — they now do have one," Voss said.
Voss said the Republican Party still has a significant number of conservative voters who are not completely aligned with the MAGA movement.
"The people unhappy the more government-oriented policies Trump has implemented, Trump's involvement in foreign policy, extending military might — those voters now naturally will see Daniel Cameron as their conservative option," Voss said.
On the Democratic side, Voss said limited polling points to Charles Booker pulling ahead of the field.
"Democratic voters seem to be casting more of an ideological choice. Charles Booker has fairly openly embraced progressive policies. Democrats seem to want to go with that in the Senate race," Voss said.
As for whether a high-profile Democratic endorsement could shake up that race, Voss said the party currently lacks a clear figurehead.
"The Democratic party doesn't really have an identifiable figurehead right now. The closest they've got is Barack Obama who is becoming the elder statesman — the president of the good ole days for Democrats," Voss said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear remains popular in the polls, but experts say that popularity is likely not enough to sway voters who have already made up their minds.
