The candidate backed by President Donald Trump to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) won quickly after the polls closed in Kentucky Tuesday evening.
Despite only 7% of precincts reporting, CBS News declared Rep. Andy Barr (R) the winner after he garnered an impressive 62.7% of the vote, compared to 28.7% for his closest competitor, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
‘Like President Trump said, Andy knows what it takes to get things done and deliver BIG for the America First agenda.’
The seat in the U.S. Senate is soon to be vacated after McConnell announced in February that he was not seeking re-election in what would have been his eighth term in office.
The Republican primary contest had been heated until the president called on former candidate Nate Morris to drop out of the race in exchange for an ambassador position. Morris went on to endorse Barr after dropping out.
Prior to dropping out, Morris called both Barr and Cameron “puppets” belonging to McConnell.
Barr will go on to face a Democratic candidate in the general election in November, but he is very likely to win in the far-right Republican state.
Trump described Barr as “a wonderful man who’s been with me all the way” during a Trump rally, according to video posted by WHAS-TV.
“Congratulations to Kentucky’s next senator, Andy Barr. Andy is a proven conservative champion who puts Kentucky first,” Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said on social media.
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Morris had gotten an enormous boost from Elon Musk in January when the tech billionaire donated $10 million to the Fight for Kentucky super PAC, which supported Morris.
“Like President Trump said, Andy knows what it takes to get things done and deliver BIG for the America First agenda,” Morris said on social media after dropping out.
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