Will he or won't he?

That question is being asked frequently, too.

And about Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr of Central Kentucky's sixth District.

When it comes to whether he'll pursue a U.S. Senate seat in 2026, the seat currently held by Mitch McConnell will be on the ballot next year.

McConnell hasn't said whether or not he'll retire or make another run at it.

Here's what Barr says about that contest as we continue our Congressional Update series.

So let's talk about you and what we've been reading of light about will you or won't you run for U.S. Senate in 2026?

What say you, sir?

Well, as I've said, we're doing a lot of listening and deliberation and discernment.

Listening to whom?

Listening to, number one, my family.

Their biggest constituent.

The number one constituent.

Right.

But, you know, my constituents in central Kentucky, who I've represented and served over these last 12, now 13 years, who, you know, I've developed a really strong, close relationship with these people, Democrats, independents and Republicans.

And, you know, one thing I look at is how am I doing with Democrats and independents?

And, you know, we get a report card in the Congress.

And how are you doing years?

Well, you know, how have you done?

I worked over 12,000 citizens of Lexington, Kentucky, who voted for Kamala Harris and me in Lexington.

I must be doing something right.

I see that as a positive that I'm able to appeal across party lines.

And if you're a Republican in Kentucky and you want to win and you want to retain this seat in the United States Senate and you want an America first conservative, you want someone who's going to win.

And my view is the only way a Democrat can win statewide in Kentucky is to do it the way Governor Beshear did and win the sixth District, the Central Kentucky district.

Mm hmm.

The fact that we've been able to lock down this purple swing district over and over again showcases not only that, we're in step with the values of the people of Kentucky, but also that we have a record of success, a record of competency, a record of constituent service, of delivering for the Commonwealth of Kentucky enough so that Democrats and independents will crossover and vote for me and my team.

So this is a yes.

So it is.

It is it is a lot of encouragement.

Mm hmm.

And I you know, I, I felt called to represent the Central Kentucky district over these last ten years.

It has been the privilege of my lifetime to get a chance to go and fight for these families and fight for the people at Toyota and fight for the researchers at the University of Kentucky and fight for the bourbon industry and fight for our farmers.

You know, in fight for the horse, our signature horse industry.

And I think we've done a pretty good job.

I am I am interested in taking that statewide because I love Kentucky.

I love the people of Kentucky.

And I'm getting a lot of green lights.

Even if US Senator Mitch McConnell stays in.

Yeah, I think I think the people of Kentucky deserve, number one, a U.S. senator that supports this president.

And number two, and Mitch McConnell, you think does not?

Well, in some cases he does.

In some cases he doesn't.

I'm my own man.

People have often said, are you a Rand Paul Republican or a mitch McConnell Republican?

I'm an Andy Barr Republican.

What does that mean?

I'm an America first conservative.

I believe in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free enterprise.

I believe in a strong national defense.

And I believe in Kentucky.

Most most of all, I believe in Kentucky.

And I think Kentucky has enormous potential.

Enormous potential.

And I've got a lot of ideas about that.

And I've got a vision for making Kentucky great again, just like we're trying to make America great again.

So have we made a decision yet?

No.

But I'm listening and I'm getting a lot of encouragement, and I just am grateful for that.

Are you getting any kind of telepathic signals from Senator McConnell that he is going to step aside or have you had any conversations with him about his intentions for 2026?

Well, I think he's going to have to make that decision on his own.

We're going to make our decision on our own as well, on our own timeline in consultation.

Number one, with my family.

Yeah.

But I also take it very seriously that a lot of Kentuckians across the Commonwealth, both here in central Kentucky and elsewhere, have said it's time, it's time.

We want you to run.

So there is more.

Tomorrow night, Congressman Barr shares his thoughts on the Department of Government Efficiency or Doe's run by Elon Musk.

So make sure you tune in tomorrow evening for a part of that discussion right here on Kentucky Edition.