Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron delivers a live address to the largely virtual 2020 Republican National Convention in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 25, 2020. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)
A seven-term senator, McConnell announced on his 83rd birthday that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of his term. McConnell recently voted against several of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks: National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. McConnell voted in favor of Kash Patel, whom the Senate confirmed as Trump's FBI director on Thursday.
In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., said McConnell has "dedicated his life to public service and the state he loves" and "our country is grateful for his leadership and legacy of confirming conservative judges and justices, and safeguarding the Republican Senate Majority."
"Kentucky is a red state, so the NRSC is confident that our eventual nominee will be a principled, America First conservative who will join our Majority’s fight for our nation’s Golden Era," Scott said.
Cameron has long been groomed to become McConnell's replacement. He unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2023 against two-term Democrat Andy Beshear.
In his first year as attorney general, Cameron handled the investigation into Breonna Taylor's shooting death during a March 2020 Louisville police raid at a time when George Floyd-era protests and riots swept the nation.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is pushed in a wheelchair at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Nate Morris, an entrepreneur serving as chairman and CEO of the Louisville-based Morris Industries, said last week he was still considering a run for McConnell's seat, while slamming other potential candidates waiting for McConnell to back out first.
"If you're asking for a permission slip to run for office here in Kentucky from Mitch McConnell, then you shouldn't be running in the first place," Morris said. "The last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnell running for office."
As for Democrats, Beshear's spokesman Eric Hyers said in a post on X that the governor would not be running to fill McConnell's seat.
Democratic state Rep. Pamela Stevenson of Louisville has long been fundraising to run for McConnell's seat, according to the Courier Journal.
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Kentucky leans red in federal elections, such as Senate races, but has been more competitive during gubernatorial contests.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-kentucky-ag-handled-breonna-taylor-probe-announces-senate-bid-replace-mitch-mcconnell