Mitch McConnell is retiring. Establishment donors have decided who they don't want replacing him
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced in February that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, but has so far stopped short of endorsing a successor. That hasn’t stopped wealthy donors linked to him and other party leaders from throwing large sums of cash into sinking the candidacy of Nate Morris, a Republican who has defined himself in opposition to McConnell’s legacy.
In January, operatives working with PDS Compliance, a major GOP political finance firm, filed paperwork establishing the Keep America Great PAC. As the months ticked by, hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations flowed in from wealthy Republican donors who frequently contribute to party leadership, including to the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund. After building up a considerable war chest, Keep America Great PAC spent $811,925 between June 30 and August 13 on a barrage of text blasts and digital advertisements aimed at sinking Morris’ bid for Senate. The PAC recently announced an additional $1.2 million ad buy attacking Morris.
Morris, an independently wealthy businessman, has portrayed himself as a political outsider in contrast to his primary opponents, former Kentucky gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron (R) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), whom he characterizes as products of McConnell’s political machine.
“You’ve got two McConnellites that owe everything to Mitch McConnell versus the outside business guy that’s running as the MAGA candidate,” Morris told Donald Trump Jr. during a recent podcast interview. “I think that contrast is going to be very, very striking to Kentuckians all over the state because they’ve had enough. They’ve had enough of Mitch.”
Indeed, seven sources familiar with the matter recently leaked to NOTUS that allies of Barr and Cameron were considering launching a joint super PAC to attack Morris and that they would target longtime donors to McConnell to help fund the operation.