Gov. Andy Beshear says he will be endorsing the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky
Kentucky Fried Politics broke news on Wednesday that, Charles Booker, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, had been contemplating switching his political affiliation to independent. An authority within the Booker campaign told Kentucky Fried Politics Booker will remain a Democrat.
At a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Beshear said he does “intend to endorse” Booker publicly, but declined to comment on what he called “palace intrigue behind the scenes.”
“He’s running his campaign as strongly as he can, and I look forward to the public event that he chooses for that endorsement,” Beshear said.
Numerous sources tell KFP they have been concerned since the end of June that Booker would be changing his political affiliation. The move could harm other Democrats, especially the governor next year since an independent would not win a race for the office but could peel enough margin off the vote to cost Beshear the election.
Booker has struggled in the campaign to find his footing, as he has undergone numerous staffing changes, and difficulty finding support from donors at the national level.
The Louisville Democrat is running against U.S. Sen. Rand Paul who is seeking a return to Washington. In his latest fundraising report, Booker raised $1.14 million and enters the start of the summer election period with $900k in cash on hand. Paul is well funded with $9 million in his campaign war chest.
