CNN’s token MAGA contributor Scott Jennings says he’ll run for Mitch McConnell’s soon-to-be-open Senate seat, but only if Donald Trump gives the green light.
“I pay very close attention to everything the president says,” Jennings told Real America’s Voice host Eric Bolling on Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve learned to do this year.”
Jennings has long teased a possible run to replace McConnell, 83, who announced in February he won’t seek re-election in 2026 after holding his Senate seat since 1985. The Daily Beast’s The Swamp newsletter reported in April that Jennings would be willing to run for McConnell’s seat if Trump “wants me.”
Days later, Jennings posted a cryptic photo on X of himself flying on Air Force One with Trump with the caption: “Something big is coming.”
While most Republicans crave the sought after Trump endorsement, Jennings in particular may need one if he wants any chance of winning next year’s open GOP primary in Kentucky.
Trump and McConnell have shown frequent animosity towards each other for years, with the president possibly wary of backing Jennings, a potential “Mini Mitch” who was a longtime advisor to the senator and worked on several of his re-election campaigns.
Trump’s MAGA base may also not be willing to back someone so closely connected to McConnell without Trump’s support.
The president has not given any real indication of who he wants to replace McConnell, but did invite the conservative political commentator on stage during a rally in Michigan in April while praising his work on CNN.
“He defends me really well but he can’t go too far, because if he goes too far he’ll get fired,” Trump told the crowd at the event commemorating the first 100 days of his second term. “I said, ‘you’re amazing, you can take it right to the edge,’ and he really does a good job, he’s not allowed to go any further.”
Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and businessman Nate Morris have already confirmed they’re running to replace McConnell in 2026.
Speaking to Bolling, Jennings indicated he would support any of the other Republicans if Trump endorses them in the race, and that they should do the same.
“I’m confident the seat will remain Republican. I do think politics is a team sport. I think Trump’s the head coach, and eventually he’s going to weigh in on this,” Jennings said. “And my political advice would be to anybody if he calls a play, we’re going to have to run it. I wouldn’t want to run against the president in Kentucky.”
