LOUISVILLE — Kentucky’s top three Republican U.S. Senate candidates largely agreed that illegal immigration is a major issue for Kentuckians, but they strongly disagreed about which of them would best handle it.
The candidates—U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris—faced each other in their first debate of the primary season Monday night. Hosted by the Jefferson County Republican Party and TV station WDRB, the debate was held in front of party faithful and elected officials, including state lawmakers, at The Henry Clay in downtown Louisville.
Candidates largely had equal time to answer questions, but Barr and Morris got heated a few times, talking over each other while rebutting the other’s attacks. Before a TV break halfway through the debate, Morris and Barr clashed over immigration policies following a question about workforce and labor.
In his answer, Barr said that “border security is something that I prioritize with this president” in Congress, adding that he favors securing the country’s borders while streamlining legal immigration programs.
“Securing the border is not incompatible or mutually exclusive with the idea that we are a nation of immigrants,” Barr said. “We are a nation of laws, and we are a nation of immigrants.”
Barr then accused Morris of hiring foreign workers instead of Americans. The Barr campaign has previously highlighted this in a campaign ad, pointing to Rubicon Global, the waste and recycling company Morris founded.
Morris said Barr was called “Amnesty Andy” in Washington, D.C., and then referred to a 2018 vote Barr gave in support of a Republican-backed bill on immigration. Barr responded that President Donald Trump had supported the measure.
After more back-and-forth between Morris and Barr, Morris criticized Barr for supporting admitting Afghan refugees who had helped U.S. forces and said that unvetted Afghan immigrants were responsible for a Thanksgiving Day attack on West Virginia National Guardsmen. The Afghan man charged in that incident served in an elite counterterrorism unit operated by the CIA.
“Andy, you’ve got blood on your hands,” Morris said.
Meanwhile, Cameron took some jabs at both of his opponents, though he didn’t receive many attacks in return. In response to a question about his electability following his 2023 loss to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, Cameron said that he, Barr and Morris “believe in second chances.”
“Congressman Barr asked for a second chance when he first lost to Ben Chandler, and he got that second opportunity,” Cameron said, referring to the Democratic congressman who previously held Barr’s seat. “Nate Morris had a company, Rubicon, that was delisted from the stock exchange. Now, he’s asking you for an opportunity to serve in the United States Senate. So, we all believe in second chances. I would be honored to have your help and support.”
Iran war
Trump’s recent war on Iran was a theme throughout the night, and the three candidates said they agree with the president’s actions. Two Kentuckians have died in the military conflict, Tech Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, and Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale.
Barr recently voted against a war powers resolution backed by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, another Kentucky Republican, that would have blocked Trump from furthering the war in Iran without congressional authorization. Barr said Monday evening that the resolution “would have been a gift to our adversaries.”
“I will never, ever put the American people at risk by blocking the commander-in-chief’s ability—this president’s ability—to protect the American people from a nuclear weapon, from a ballistic missile or conventional capabilities,” Barr said.
Asked directly if he would support American boots on the ground in Iran, Barr said he would support Trump’s decision “and I have full faith and confidence that this president will make the right decision.”
Cameron was critical of former Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama for a “disastrous evacuation of Afghanistan” in previous years.
“President Trump is about decisive action on behalf of the American people to ensure our national security. I’m grateful for President Trump and support his efforts in Iran—and also let’s look at what he did with Maduro and taking out a narco-terrorist in Venezuela. This president is on the right track, and I’m grateful for his leadership,” Cameron said, referring to the January U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He and his wife were brought to New York on narco-terrorism and conspiracy charges.
Morris also said he would back Trump’s decisions about the Iran war.
“I trust the president because of the results that he’s got for the American people, and I stand by him 100%,” Morris said. “And he has been so surgical, so tactical in the way that he’s gone after all these foreign governments, and I think that we’re going to get great results for the American people.”
Kentucky’s primary is Tuesday, May 19.
