Former President Obama endorses Charles Booker in Kentucky Senate race

November 1, 2026 / 9:00 AM EST / CBS News

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Democratic nominee Charles Booker in the Kentucky Senate race on Sunday, two days before Election Day.

"I'm proud to support Charles Booker for the U.S. Senate," former President Barack Obama said in a statement shared first with CBS News. "Charles cares deeply about the people of Kentucky, and by sending him to Washington, working families across the Commonwealth would have a leader who understands their struggles and has what it takes to make real change."

Booker said he was 'humbled and honored" to receive the endorsement. He is running against Republican Rep. Andy Barr to succeed Senator Mitch McConnell. McConnell, 84, announced his retirement last year and is Kentucky's longest serving senator.

"Mitch McConnell essentially built a career leveraging Kentucky to become one of the most powerful politicians in our country, and we know that by flipping Kentucky, we flip the U.S. Senate," Booker told CBS News in an interview earlier this year.

While Kentucky is not among the states listed in CBS News Senate battleground tracker, Booker's campaign says it has internal polling that indicates the race could be tightening. The race is considered…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/