Charles Booker, 2026 Kentucky Senate Democratic candidate
Charles Booker
DEMOCRATIC
Kentucky House of Representatives (D)
2019 – 2021
Kentucky state flag

Kentucky 2026 SENATE FORECAST

Andy Barr, 2026 Kentucky Senate Republican candidate
Andy Barr
REPUBLICAN
US House of Representatives (R-KY)
2013 – Present

2026 Kentucky Senate Forecast:

The Pollsmax 2026 Kentucky Senate forecast currently gives Republican Andy Barr a 98% chance of defeating Democrat Charles Booker. Pollsmax projects Barr to receive 60.4% of the vote compared with 39.6% for Booker, a projected Republican margin of 20.8 percentage points. The model currently rates the race as Solid Republican. The forecast is updated using 100,000 simulations incorporating polling and race fundamentals. See the Pollsmax forecast methodology.

The 2026 Kentucky Senate election features Democrat Charles Booker and Republican Andy Barr. The seat is open and is currently controlled by Republicans. In 2024, Donald Trump won Kentucky by 30.5%, and Republicans are expected to easily retain the state's Senate seat in 2026. Kentucky has leaned Republican in recent statewide elections, but open-seat races can become more competitive when both parties have well-known nominees and no incumbent on the ballot.

Year
2026
Race
Senate
State
Kentucky
Democratic candidate
Charles Booker
Republican candidate
Andy Barr
Incumbent / open seat
Open Seat
Forecast rating
Solid R
Projected vote
39.6% D / 60.4% R
Projected margin
R +20.8
Forecast odds
2.0% D / 98.0% R
Forecast last updated
12:00 AM on September 24, 2026
Polling average
39.4% D / 49.0% R
Polling average margin
R +9.6
Polling last updated
12:00 AM on August 27, 2026
Polls included
2
Latest poll
Global Strategy Group (D) — August 27, 2026