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Candidates › Kentucky U.S. Senate race › 2025–2026
Charles Booker
D Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Kentucky
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Lost the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 778,699 votes (44.7%) · 2 of 3
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Making Life More Affordable
- Growing Kentucky Small Businesses
- Lowering the Price at the Pump
- Lowering Energy Costs & Standing with Energy Workers
- Building Kentucky’s Infrastructure
- Money
- $1.9M raised, $1.6M spent, $303.6K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 58% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 62% from Kentucky · largest committee giver LABORERS' INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA (LIUNA) PAC, $10K
- Outside groups
- $29.6K supporting Booker
16 priorities from charlesbookerky.org, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Lower costs. Raise wages. Create good Kentucky jobs.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies
Kentuckians are paying too much for groceries, gasoline, electricity, housing, and medicine. I will cut taxes for working and middle-class families, lower costs for everyday necessities and excessive fees, protect Social Security and Medicare, and defend workers' freedom to organize for better wages and benefits.
“Stupid” is the only word I have for going to war with your trade partners, but tariffs and trade wars started by this White House have caused everything to go up, from gas to toys. On day one, I will introduce a joint resolution revoking the fake “national emergency” that President Trump has used to raise tariffs that have made everything cost more and hurt Kentucky businesses.
Blanket tariffs fueling trade wars are hidden taxes. They continue to raise prices, increase costs for farmers, and invite retaliation against Kentucky bourbon, a signature industry that supports thousands of Kentucky jobs and has been caught in the crossfire of trade fights for years. The House of Representatives has introduced this resolution, but Andy Barr does not support it, effectively rubber-stamping a stupid trade war that is being waged at our expense. It ends on day one if I am elected.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/affordable
Small businesses are the backbone of Kentucky’s economy, from the corner store to the family distillery. Too often, Washington writes the rules for big corporations and leaves Main Street to pay the price. I will:
- Fight the tariff costs that squeeze small businesses on supplies and inventory.
- Expand access to affordable capital through SBA lending and community lenders, with a focus on rural and underserved communities.
- Cut red tape and simplify federal paperwork for employers with fewer than 50 workers.
- Make it easier for small employers to offer health coverage through a public option.
- Stand up to corporate consolidation and junk fees that let giant chains undercut local businesses.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/small-business
According to AAA Kentucky, the average price for regular unleaded is $4.13 per gallon, up from roughly $2.79 a year ago, all because of an unnecessary war we didn't ask for that I would fight to end on day one.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies
To keep gas affordable, I would commit on day one in office to:
- Ending the war in Iran.
- Suspending the Federal Gas Tax for a year to give Kentuckians immediate relief at the pump.
- Allowing year-round sales of additional ethanol and fuel blends like E15 so that more fuel is available for Kentuckians at the pump.
- Developing a strategy to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve so that reserves are in place to prevent future spikes in gas prices.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/gas
Kentuckians have seen their utility bills increase by about 20% since 2021, with some Kentuckians seeing spikes of up to 41%. In addition to lowering costs at the pump, on day one if I am elected, I will co-sponsor:
- the Ratepayer Protection Act (requiring large data centers to fully cover their utility costs so that they aren't passed onto families);
- the Energy Bills Relief Act, which lets cheaper renewable power move between states to lower monthly bills; and,
- an expansion of federal grants for heating and cooling assistance, home weatherization, and energy efficiency so that our houses can use less energy and consumers can pay less every month.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/energy
Kentucky powered this country for generations, and the miners and energy workers who did that work deserve more than speeches. I will:
- Protect the pensions, health care and black lung benefits that coal miners earned.
- Fully fund abandoned mine land cleanup that puts Kentuckians to work restoring our land and water.
- Support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that keeps Kentucky plants running, keeps power affordable and creates new energy jobs here at home.
- Make sure new energy projects are built with union labor at prevailing wages, and that any worker affected by a plant closure gets real retraining and job placement.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/energy
Every Kentuckian should be able to build a good life, no matter where they live. Too many roads, bridges and water systems are past their limits, and too many families still lack reliable internet. I will:
- Fight for federal dollars to repair Kentucky’s roads and bridges, including long-delayed projects that connect our regions.
- Finish the job on rural broadband so every home, farm and small business can get online.
- Upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems so no Kentucky family has to boil its water.
- Strengthen flood and disaster resilience in Eastern and Western Kentucky communities hit repeatedly by storms.
- Ensure these projects are built by Kentucky workers earning good union wages.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/infrastructure
I would support a national moratorium on all new AI data center construction. No new data centers should be built until we know what they do to our water and our utility bills and our environment.
I would commit to:
- Supporting the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act that would pause all new data center construction and ensure that existing data centers pay the full costs of their impact on our energy bills; and,
- Supporting the Clean Cloud Act to limit the impact that existing data centers have on our environment.
Kentuckians deserve to know what the data centers that want to come to the Commonwealth will mean for our bottom lines and for our communities, and until we know that, no new AI data centers should be built in Kentucky.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/data-centers
No one should be in office as long as Mitch McConnell has, and no one should go to Congress and become wealthier as a result like Andy Barr has. We can't expect different results from Washington while sending the same people every year.
I commit to draining the swamp in Washington by introducing legislation that would include:
- Supporting a constitutional amendment to establish lifetime term limits on members of Congress.
- Banning members of Congress from trading stock while they're in office.
- Banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists once they leave Congress.
- Stopping the President and other elected officials from profiting from private business ventures while in office.
- Requiring that the President and Vice President publicly disclose their tax returns in the same way that members of Congress have to.
- Suspending the statute of limitations for federal crimes committed by a president or vice president while in office.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/swamp
Kentuckians now pay an additional $1,000 per month for health insurance since Andy Barr voted to cut Medicaid.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies
I commit to making healthcare more affordable for all Kentuckians, including:
- Restoring the Affordable Care Act subsidies that Andy Barr voted to eliminate;
- Supporting the State Public Option Act that would build on our successful expansion of Medicaid in Kentucky by giving every Kentuckian the ability to purchase into a public insurance option run by the Commonwealth, not Washington, if they want to.
- Lowering prescription drug costs by expanding the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (so all Kentuckians would be able to pay the same prices Medicare recipients pay for prescription drugs) and setting upper limits on what pharmaceutical companies can charge by tying U.S. drug prices to the prices pharmaceutical companies charge in other countries, like Canada.
I believe healthcare is a human right. No one should have to die because they don't have enough money in their pocket. Nobody should have to ration medicine, skip a doctor's appointment, or choose between paying a medical bill and putting food on the table. The American people deserve to have insurance coverage they like and need, without a fear of bankruptcy. I will work to make sure everyone has access to the same high quality care provided to politicians like Mitch McConnell and ensure they can afford to keep it.
If you like your insurance, you can keep it. If you pay too much for your insurance, we'll help you pay for it. And, if you want to buy into a public plan, we'll provide the marketplace for it.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/healthcare
In 2022, Kentuckians from every party rejected a constitutional amendment that would have put politicians between patients and their doctors. I will respect that decision. Choices about pregnancy, contraception, IVF and miscarriage care belong to women, their families and their doctors, not Washington. I will protect access to contraception and IVF, and make sure every woman facing a pregnancy complication gets the emergency care she needs.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/healthcare
No Kentuckian should be more than a few minutes away from an urgent care facility or an emergency room, and no Kentuckian should be more than an hour away from a trauma center. But, because of Andy Barr and the One Big Beautiful Bill that he supported, at least 35 Kentucky hospitals are at risk of closing.
I am committed to reversing the damage that Andy Barr has brought to rural Kentucky by:
- Reversing the One Big Beautiful Bill's cuts to Medicaid;
- Permanently extending the Rural Transformation Fund that will reopen closed rural hospitals;
- Expanding the federal government's investment in telemedicine, including making the telehealth flexibilities from COVID permanent; and,
- Supporting expanded federal investments in the next generation of rural doctors and healthcare workers.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/rural-hospitals
By cutting Medicaid, Andy Barr has turned his back on some of our most vulnerable Kentuckians. And, despite being in Washington for over a decade, Andy Barr has no record of standing up for vulnerable Kentuckians.
On day one, I would commit to:
- Expanding Medicaid's Home and Community-Based Services to provide support for Kentuckians with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities;
- Opposing Medicaid cuts that threaten specialized medical, dental, and community providers relied upon by disabled Kentuckians;
- Providing targeted federal grants to raise wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) who provide care and support to disabled Kentuckians, resolving staff shortages that limit care access.
- Modernizing SSI/SSDI Limits to put more money in the hands of families caring for disabled Kentuckians and complement programs like STABLE Kentucky.
- Restoring education grants cut by the Trump Administration for specialized student learning and transition programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
- Expanding support for employers and training providers that offer vocational rehabilitation and competitive integrated employment initiatives to close the employment gap for Kentuckians with disabilities.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/vulnerable
Every Kentuckian deserves to feel safe at home, at school, at work and in their neighborhood. Real safety means stopping crime and addressing the conditions that drive it. I will:
- Support local police, sheriffs and first responders with funding for training, recruitment and mental health crisis response teams.
- Fight the fentanyl and opioid crisis by stopping the flow of drugs and expanding treatment and recovery in every county.
- Invest in proven violence prevention, youth programs and job training that keep young people on the right path.
- Protect every Kentuckian from discrimination and harassment, no matter who they are or whom they love.
- Help people returning home from incarceration find work and housing so they stay home for good.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/safety
Military power is a tool, not a plan. I will work to end the war in Iran, protect American service members, and pursue a durable diplomatic settlement. Sending troops into danger must be a last resort. Presidents should not enter open-ended conflicts without congressional authorization, clear objectives, legal authority, and an exit strategy.
- I will support a strong military alongside effective diplomacy, intelligence, cybersecurity, key alliances, and secure critical supply chains.
- I will fully fund veterans' health care, improve rural and mental health access for veterans, reduce benefit delays, help end veteran homelessness, smooth the transition to civilian life, and protect military families.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/military
We need to end the war in Iran that we didn't ask for and that is costing Kentuckians at the pump every month and costing American taxpayers billions in tax dollars that could be reinvested in Kentucky.
- On day one, I will join my colleagues in supporting a War Powers Resolution that will end funding for the war in Iran, bring our troops home, and cut the costs at the pump for Kentuckians.
- Congress has abandoned its role in being a check on the President's ability to wage war, and I will fight to restore Congress' oversight role by introducing on day one the End Senseless Wars Act that would:
- Call for a full audit of our spending on the war in Iran including identifying no-bid contracts.
- End outdated Authorizations of Use of Military Force (AUMF) from 2001 and 2002 that have been used to justify forever wars like Iran and Afghanistan.
- Require any new AUMFs have clear geographic limitations and an explicit time period so that any new funding or extensions of war require Congressional supermajorities.
- Modernize the War Powers Resolution Act to establish a clear, modern definition of "hostilities" that covers contemporary actions like cyber warfare and lethal drone strikes, prevent the White House from engaging in military action past 60 days, and make it easier for Congress to challenge executive war powers in federal court.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/military
We spend billions providing foreign aid and defense to Israel that could be invested in our schools, our infrastructure, and to lower prices here at home.
- On day one, I will introduce a proposal to terminate our annual commitment to Israel that sends nearly $4 billion in foreign aid, and to suspend future military spending and arms sales until a two-state solution is enacted.
- Our dollars should go to our communities in the Commonwealth, not a war that we didn't ask for that doesn't make us safer.
- Andy Barr fully supports diverting these dollars away from the Commonwealth and toward foreign conflicts in the Middle East that make us less safe. Bring those dollars back home.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · charlesbookerky.org/policies/military