KY-SEN: Democrats' Latest Long-Shot Senate Recruit: A Kentucky Horse Trainer

Any hope Democrats have of regaining control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections requires cashing lottery tickets in long-shot states.

So here comes Dale Romans, a champion horse trainer who on Wednesday is set to announce a campaign for the Senate seat in deep-red Kentucky that is being vacated after seven terms by Senator Mitch McConnell, the former Republican majority leader.

Mr. Romans, 59, calls himself “an independent Democrat” who is aiming to ride a wave of frustration with both parties. He said in an interview this week that he would not commit to supporting Senator Chuck Schumer of New York to remain as the Democratic leader and that he opposed President Trump’s polices on tariffs and immigration enforcement, which he said had hurt people and industries in Kentucky.

Mr. Romans, whose horse Shackleford won the 2011 Preakness Stakes, said he would model himself after former Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia. A two-term red-state Democrat-turned-independent, Mr. Manchin served as a thorn in the side of the party’s liberal wing while nonetheless providing critical votes on most of the Democratic agenda.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/us/politics/dale-romans-senate-kentucky-democrats.html