President Donald Trump has endorsed Kentucky congressman Andy Barr in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has won a third term, defeating Charles Booker, the first Black Democratic nominee for the Senate in the Bluegrass State.

Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker is bidding to stop Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky from winning a third term.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says the criticism he received over a comment made about African American voters is outrageous and offensive.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism for comments he made shortly before the GOP blocked a federal elections bill, when he said that “African American” voters cast ballots at similar rates to “Americans.”.

Democrat Charles Booker has launched another campaign for the U.S. Senate from Kentucky.

(AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)LOUISVILLE Taking the offensive after her narrow primary win, Democratic Senate nominee Amy McGrath challenged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to disclose what he knows about intelligence assessments suggesting Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. She later accused the senator of dereliction of duty," unwilling to challenge President Donald Trump and hold Russia accountable. In a Senate speech Wednesday, McConnell warned again of Russian efforts to undermine U.S. interests in the Middle East. In recent days, McGrath barely held off a late surge from progressive state Rep. Charles Booker to win by 15,149 votes in the Democratic primary. Kentucky switched to widespread absentee voting for the primary amid the coronavirus pandemic, and election officials needed days to count ballots.

That's when results from the primary will be announced after a week of counting absentee ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic. Early results showed progressive candidate Charles Booker and establishment-backed McGrath almost neck-and-neck as of late Monday afternoon. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP, File)LOUISVILLE, Ky. Former Marine pilot Amy McGrath overcame a bumpier-than-expected Kentucky primary to win the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination Tuesday, fending off progressive Charles Booker to set up a bruising, big-spending showdown with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell, a key ally to President Donald Trump, already breezed to victory in the GOP primary in his bid for a seventh term. Despite her advantages, McGrath sweated out her primary victory against the hard-charging Booker.

U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath speaks to people during a visit to Thankful Hearts Food Pantry in Pikeville, Ky., Monday, June 22, 2020. The lead in the Democratic primary has flipped back and forth between Booker and McGrath as results of individual counties' absentee tally trickle in. But the Democratic contest in this GOP-dominated state turned volatile when Booker, a Black state lawmaker, seized momentum in the final weeks. We are thrilled with the absentee results so far," said McGraths campaign manager, Mark Nickolas. The state turned to widespread mail-in absentee voting because of the coronavirus pandemic, while still allowing in-person voting as well.

WASHINGTON Yearning for change, a group of progressive Black Democratic congressional hopefuls is rushing toward the national stage, igniting rank-and-file enthusiasm in a party dominated by aging white leaders. Each, for example, has supported the Green New Deal and Medicare for All proposals dear to progressive voters. Sean McElwee, a political analyst for progressive candidates, says liberal-leaning millennials are entering the age when people tend to vote more often. Many moderates dispute that the Democratic Party is increasingly becoming controlled by progressives and that Black voters inevitably skew to the left. But it's clear something is happening, and a new, aggressive generation of activists is impacting the Democratic Party."

“It’s almost like we’re at 7:30 on election night," longtime Kentucky political commentator Al Cross said Wednesday. “And we’re not having election night, we’re having election week.”All absentee ballots had to be postmarked by primary election day and received by county clerks’ offices by June 27 — the Saturday after the election — to be counted. On the day after the primary election, both campaigns looked for signs from the slivers of returns that could foreshadow the eventual outcome. After cruising to the GOP nomination on Tuesday, McConnell quickly tried to frame the fall election even before knowing who his Democratic challenger will be. McConnell has relished his role as the Senate gatekeeper to stop legislation sent over from the Democratic House.

(Patrick Sebastian/Cawthorn Campaign via AP)LOUISVILLE, Ky. Voters rebuffed President Donald Trump and nominated two Republicans he opposed to House seats from North Carolina and Kentucky on Tuesday. Kentucky usually has 2% of its returns come from mail ballots. This year officials expect that figure to exceed 50%, and over 400,000 mail ballots were returned by Sunday. New York officials expect the vast majority of votes to be mail ballots this year, compared to their typical 5% share. Counties have until eight days after Election Day to count and release the results of mail ballots, with 1.7 million requested by voters.

The surge of absentee ballots could cause waits of another sort Tuesday, as some counties have said they won't release vote totals before June 30. Kentucky turned to widespread mail-in absentee voting in an agreement between the Democratic governor and Adams in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In Louisville, a city of 600,000, the only in-person voting place on Election Day is at the state fairgrounds. Even in Nevada, where absentee ballots were sent to every registered voter for the June 9 primary, large-scale consolidation caused problems. More than 883,000 absentee ballots were requested statewide, with slightly more than half filled out and sent in, Gov.

Kentucky turned to widespread mail-in absentee voting in an agreement between the state's Democratic governor and Adams in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. The state's primary is typically in late May but was delayed. In Louisville, a city of 600,000, the only in-person voting place on Election Day is at the state fairgrounds. The county also allowed early in-person voting beginning June 15 at the state fairgrounds. More than 883,000 absentee ballots were requested statewide, with slightly more than half filled out and sent in, Gov.

HOLD FOR STORY- In this June 17, 2020 photo U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker shakes hands with protestors in Louisville, KY. Booker is running against Amy Grath for the senate democratic nomination. McConnell, the Senate majority leader, mentions Taylor almost daily and has embraced legislation intended to overhaul police practices. I have faith that Kentuckians know Im the best candidate to fight for them and to defeat Mitch McConnell, McGrath said. State Democratic Rep. Angie Hatton, who represents an Appalachian region in southeastern Kentucky, said Bookers economic message seems to be catching on in her district. Democratic strategist Mark Riddle said Booker has successfully captured a moment and sometimes moments define campaigns."