Charles Booker, a progressive former state lawmaker in Kentucky, announced on Wednesday that he would seek to succeed Senator Mitch McConnell, the retiring former Republican leader — a long-shot attempt that underscores Democrats’ hopes of competing in red states on an unfriendly Senate map.
Mr. Booker, who served in Kentucky’s House of Representatives and twice ran unsuccessfully for Senate, is hoping that in his third attempt, his message of empowering workers and supporting the poor will resonate at a time when many Americans are increasingly anxious about the cost of living.
In his announcement video, Mr. Booker called for more affordable housing and universal child care “so raising our families isn’t so damn hard.” And he floated a policy proposal called 40-for-40: a guaranteed $40,000 yearly minimum wage for anyone who works at least 40 hours a week.
Mr. Booker’s run in deeply conservative Kentucky comes on the heels of several impressive showings for Democrats, who spent much of the year licking their wounds after President Trump’s return to power.
The Democratic nominees for governor in New Jersey and Virginia coasted to victory last month; the party has notched several wins in the nationwide redistricting battles, including the passage of a gerrymandered congressional map in California; and Democrats have outperformed expectations in a series of recent special elections, including in Republican states like Tennessee and Iowa.
Those developments, along with Mr. Trump’s drooping approval ratings, have emboldened the party to play offense in red states. Facing a daunting 2026 Senate map and needing to flip at least four seats to win back the chamber next year, Democrats see potential for competitive races in several Republican states, such as Texas, Alaska and Ohio.
Still, even if voters fed up with Mr. Trump’s tenure and their economic fortunes turn out en masse for Democrats next year, Kentucky could remain well out of reach. The state has not had a Democratic senator this century, and several Republicans are vying to succeed Mr. McConnell, including Representative Andy Barr; Daniel Cameron, the former state attorney general; and Nate Morris, a business executive.
To face any of them, Mr. Booker will have to navigate a crowded Democratic primary field that features an independent-leaning horse trainer, Dale Romans, as well as Mr. Booker’s 2020 primary opponent, Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot. Ms. McGrath narrowly defeated Mr. Booker that year, then spent nearly $93 million against Mr. McConnell only to lose to him by almost 20 percentage points, demonstrating just how conservative the state’s voters are.
Mr. Booker ran for Senate again in 2022, but lost badly in the general election to Senator Rand Paul, a Republican. This time, with an open seat and what Mr. Booker believed to be a weak Republican field, he saw a unique opportunity, his campaign said.
Most recently, he served in the administration of Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, leading the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Initiatives.
Mr. Booker, who is Black, rose to prominence in 2020 participating in the racial justice protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. He did not shy away from his progressivism in his announcement on Wednesday, including footage of himself marching in protests, endorsing “Medicare for all” and calling for a labor strike.
“If these crooked politicians and big-money corporations are so committed to screwing us over,” he says at one point, “I think we should lock arms and shut it all down.”
Kellen Browning is a Times political reporter based in San Francisco.
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