through Congress in 2020.

You just heard from outgoing Senate State Majority Leader Damon Thayer in the Senate from our or 4 week.

In political segment tonight, we sat down for an exit interview with him.

He talked with me about the Senate Republicans leadership selections.

And if he plans on making any future runs for elected office.

♪ A replacement has majority floor leader was decided a couple weeks ago.

Max Wise from Campbellsville who was the running mate to Kelly Craft and in the last election cycle for governor.

>> He will take over as your spot.

But when you are on this very same set of a few months ago, you said that you are advocating for Julie, Rocky Adams, who had already served.

He served as caucus chair, had been committee chair, had help the caucus in certain areas of criminal justice reform, et cetera.

Why didn't she get the spot?

>> Well, you'll have to ask the members of the Senate Republican majority.

I think that's a legitimate question.

Does she want the spot?

She said she ran.

She ran for the spot as Senate majority floor leader.

And I did.

Make it known that I thought she deserve the job.

I thought she would have been great at the job.

She was well prepared for the job.

I also thought it would have been very good to have a woman, an accomplished woman who was ready for the job from Kentucky's largest city.

But I I didn't have a vote.

I wasn't in the room.

I'm not going to be a member of the caucus come January.

So I would not be no reason for me to be there.

And Max, why?

I think he will do a fine job.

He's been a good member and a good committee chair and I've already reached out to him and congratulated him and told him if I can be a I'm here to help.

>> As we talked before, we started taping, though, that sense the Republicans have become the majority and the state Senate which happened around 2002 1001, 2002 1000, there had always been a woman in a leadership position.

Going back to Elizabeth Torre who was Swift and Senate President Pro Tem KET Stein from northern Kentucky.

Julie Rocky Adams as caucus chair.

This will be the first time and 20 something years that that hasn't been the case.

Is that disappointing to you?

>> Well, I don't like to play identity politics, but I Julie is an accomplished woman and had already been in leadership for 6 years and done a really good job.

And I thought it would have been a good look for the caucus to have her be the first female Senate majority floor leader that's caucus went another way.

You know, that's something people are going to going to have to decide for themselves.

People are going to draw their own conclusions.

And, you know, there are 5 Goodman in that leadership group and I wish them nothing.

But the best.

There are friends of mine and, you know, you don't always get what you want to and from the same rights that Rolling Stones song.

And I think Max will do a fine job and I'm here to help him if you would like it.

>> They the other absences.

Also, there is no one representing a Jefferson County, right or Fayette County.

They are all rules from top Senate president down to whip.

Is that?

How it should be or does it seem to be the time where that makes the most sense?

>> Well, there's nobody from Lexington, Louisville, northern Kentuckyian Senate Republican leadership.

And I think that's the first time as well.

I it's it's for its 5 year old guys.

3 of them who represent.

Parts of Warren County.

So that was it was a good day for Boeing to I'm sure it is now the fastest growing city.

I think it's kind of up to Scott County, right and one count.

And if we go back and is the fastest growing, a bullet county likes to say at the Madison County, like I said, Scott County, we like to say it.

But Bowling Green is the 3rd largest city in Kentucky.

>> And it is an odd the currents not to have somebody from the Golden Triangle and leadership.

I'm extremely pleased that Chris McDaniel from northern Kentucky will continue as chairman of appropriations and revenue and the vice time and a base Bledsoe and incredibly accomplished woman.

She she ran the budget committee when she was on Lexington City Council and Senator Julie Rocky Adams will be chairman of the incredibly important licensing and occupations really happy about those committee assignments.

I think they're they're really good smart decisions.

Another decision that I'm really happy about is Brandon Storm is going to be chairman of the Judiciary Committee and it's the first time in 12 years we've had a new chair of the Judiciary Committee and I couldn't think of anybody better to be chairman of Judiciary and percent of fish storm from Laurel County, just south of Lexington.

And he's well prepared for that job.

And I think he'll do it.

Do really well.

>> So perhaps maybe you'll pick up politics in 2026 or 2027?

>> Yeah, I think that's a possibility.

And I don't want to obfuscate like a lot of politicians do.

And I'm going to be forthright with you, Renee.

Yes, of course.

I am going to consider running for governor in 2027, depending on the field like a good horse race.

I'm going to handicap it.

And if I think I have a clear path to the Republican nomination, I would consider running and then and as far as 2026 goes out, I think there's the possibility of some open seats occurring, but that also may not occur.

Senate and the Congress perhaps that I would KET that as a possibility it's >> Congressman Barr from the 6 district were to pursue the U.S. Senate, assuming that Mitch McConnell does not reop.

You think you would want to go for the congressional seat for the 6 district?

I would consider it.

I would consider it very much.

I would never right against one of our incumbents for the House or the Senate.

And let's be clear, Mitch McConnell has not decided when to seek reelection or not seek reelection in 2026, but he's got to decide soon.

Write it.

I would say, you know, in the next 10 to 12 months or maybe a some people were probably like him to the side in the next 6.

I was going to say because you got a raise.

That was not going to be a big, big, big race.

It is going to be a big race and there are a lot of people qualified to run for that seat, including Congressman Barr, who for me is a model Congressman.

And I'm proud to call him my friend and my congressman.

And you would run against him.

Never known.

But if it's an open seat, I would give it consideration.

I'm not sitting here today with a burning desire to reenter politics.

But who knows how I feel a year from now after taking a step back.

And I just well, it would be ridiculous for me to rule out any possibility.

So yeah, long answer short, keeping all my