Nate Morris campaign spends big early with seven-figure ad launch in Senate race
- Kentucky businessman Nate Morris has launched a seven-figure ad buy across the state for his 2026 U.S. Senate campaign.
- The ad criticizes outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell and fellow Republican candidates Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron.
Nate Morris is already spending big bucks on his 2026 U.S. Senate campaign — with 10 months to go until the primary election.
The Kentucky businessman is launching a seven-figure ad buy that will run in every market statewide, including television, digital and direct mail advertising, according to Morris' spokesperson.
The ad, titled "Garbage Day," is critical of outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, as well as fellow Republican candidates U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
"Mitch McConnell? He's trashed Trump," Morris says in the ad. "McConnell's boys Andy Barr and Daniel Cameron will do the same if they replace him."
In a statement, Barr's campaign said Barr was the Kentucky chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign in the 2024 primary, while Morris "is the only candidate in this race who didn't support Trump" in that race.
"Nate donated to Nikki Haley and spent years as a woke green energy CEO pushing DEI and COVID lockdowns on his employees," the statement read. "For years, he supported, praised, and funded Sen. McConnell, the same attack he now attempts to ridiculously level against others. His phony attempt at playing conservative on TV won't fool Kentuckians. Nate Morris is a fraud."
Barr's campaign confirmed he has not his own television ad.
In a follow-up statement, Morris campaign spokesperson Conor McGuinness said Barr's statement contained inaccuracies, arguing "Andy Barr knows that Nate ditched Mitch over a decade ago, while Barr and Cameron continued to support him, even after Mitch made it his personal mission to try to destroy President Trump following January 6th."
McGuinness added Morris was one of Kentucky's largest donors to Trump in 2024 and he never donated to Haley, but rather a PAC established years before Haley ran for President, just weeks after she publicly said she wouldn't run for President if President Trump ran again."
A spokesperson for Cameron's campaign said in a statement that "Nate Morris is pretending to be something he isn't — a conservative."
"He cheered radicals on during the BLM riots, and he flew the transgender flag over his business," the campaign said, referencing apparent communications from Rubicon, the waste and recycling company Morris founded. "That's Nate Morris, and by the end of this election cycle every Kentucky Republican voter is going to know that."
The latest fundraising reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show Cameron raised more than $500,000 for his Senate bid over an about four-week period following his announcement. However, that paled in comparison to the funds Barr had on hand — with reports showing he had more than $5.3 million available as of March 31.
The next fundraising reports are due to the FEC on July 15.
Morris announced his run for the Senate seat in June on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast show, "Triggered with Don Jr." He already has support from some nationally known conservatives, including popular media host Charlie Kirk.
Kirk and Morris kicked off the campaign at a rally in Shepherdsville on June 30, where Morris branded himself as an outsider and grassroots candidate ready to help advance Trump's agenda.
While Morris has never served in public office, he has previously worked with Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, with POLITICO calling Morris "a door-opener for Paul with big-money GOP donors."
The primary election is set to take place on May 19, 2026.
This story could be updated.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.