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CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings suggested this week that he would consider tossing his hat into the ring of the 2026 Kentucky Senate seat race, but only if Donald Trump urged him to fill the seat that’s soon to be vacated by the retiring Mitch McConnell.
A former McConnell campaign adviser and special assistant to former President George W. Bush, Jennings has carved out a niche for himself in recent years as CNN’s resident Trump defender. Since the president’s return to the White House, Jennings’ stock has risen within both MAGA circles and the mainstream media, as he’s launched his own daily radio show and been named to the Los Angeles Times’ editorial board.
Promoting his new pro-Trump book A Revolution for Common Sense, Jennings dropped by right-wing network Real America’s Voice, where he sat down Wednesday with former Fox News star Eric Bolling.
At one point in the conversation, Bolling noted that a number of Republican candidates have already lined up to take over McConnell’s seat, which includes former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Rep. Andy Barr and Trump megadonor Nate Morris.
“You thinking about it?” Bolling asked the CNN pundit.
“Yeah, I haven’t made any announcements about that,” Jennings replied. “There’s three people in the race, I know them all, like them all, have been in and out of their lives in varying degrees over the years. I’ve supported them all in various endeavors, so I’m confident the seat will remain Republican.”
Adding that he believes that “politics is a team sport” and “Trump’s the head coach,” Jennings stated that the president will eventually “weigh in on this” and that Republicans will have to heed his command.
“You know, if he calls a play, we’re gonna have to run it,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to run against the president in Kentucky. So, I don’t really have any announcement about it at the moment.”
Bolling, meanwhile, straight up asked Jennings “if Trump taps you, you’re gonna run,” prompting the conservative commentator – who recently joined Trump on a rally stage – to ambiguously respond: “I pay very close attention to everything the president says.”
“That’s a good position to be,” Bolling chuckled before moving on to Jennings’ book.
While stepping aside as the GOP’s Senate leader and announcing that he wouldn’t seek another term, the 83-year-old McConnell – who has dealt with increasing concerns over his health amid falls and freezing up during public speeches – has become a rare (if mild) public critic of Trump’s among Republicans on Capitol Hill in recent months.
With the former Senate Majority Leader voting against the president’s Cabinet nominees and warning against embracing “right-wing isolationism,” Trump has repeatedly blasted the Kentucky lawmaker and has even suggested that McConnell faked having polio as a child.
“I have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is that he shouldn't have been leader,” Trump said in February after McConnell declared he would not support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary due to his anti-vaccine stance.
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