Can a Black Woman Replace Mitch McConnell? Col. Pam Stevenson Says Yes
With Kentucky’s longest-serving senator stepping down, this top Democrat candidate is making history with her bid—but the road ahead will be far from easy.
When longtime U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell announced that he would not seek re-election in 2026, the political ground in Kentucky shifted. Now, Col. Pamela D. Stevenson, a retired Air Force JAG officer and current Minority Floor Leader in the state’s House of Representatives, has officially announced her plans to run for the seat.
Her campaign message launched yesterday — “Duty. Honor. Kentucky.”— struck a patriotic and defiant tone, signaling that she’s ready to take on perhaps one of the toughest races in the country.
If elected, Stevenson would be the first Black U.S. Senator from Kentucky — and only the fourth Black woman to ever serve in the chamber. Her candidacy is historic, but in a red state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1992, the barriers are as deep as the symbolism is powerful.
A Trailblazing Record in Service and Law
Stevenson brings an impressive background to the race. After 27 years in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), where she prosecuted violent crimes like rape and incest and where she retired with the rank of Colonel, she returned home to Kentucky and launched the Stevenson Law Center, offering pro bono legal services to veterans, seniors, and working families.
In 2020, Stevenson was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives, and in 2023, she became the first Black woman to serve as Minority Floor Leader. That same year, she ran for attorney general as the Democratic nominee, ultimately losing to Republican Russell Coleman.
Despite that loss, Stevenson consistently fought for expanding access to affordable healthcare, fully funding public education, and protecting Kentuckians from gun violence and systemic injustice.
Who She’s Up Against
The field to replace McConnell is already taking shape, especially on the Republican side. Several high-profile contenders are either declared or expected to enter the race:
Daniel Cameron, the former Kentucky Attorney General and protégé of Mitch McConnell, announced his Senate bid in February. After an unsuccessful run for governor in 2023, he’s positioning himself as the next generation of GOP leadership.
Andy Barr, a current U.S. Representative, is likely to announce soon, touting more than a decade of congressional experience.
Nate Morris, a businessman and political outsider, has expressed interest, appealing mostly to anti-establishment conservatives.
Scott Jennings, a longtime GOP strategist and CNN commentator, is also being encouraged to run, though he hasn’t declared.
Stevenson is the only high-profile Democrat in the race as of now, making her the party’s potential standard candidate in a state that hasn’t sent one to the Senate since Wendell Ford was re-elected in 1992.
Controversy Over ActBlue
Though Stevenson has generated excitement across progressive circles, her campaign rollout has not been without criticism — particularly around her use of ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s leading digital fundraising platform. While ActBlue is standard for Democratic candidates, some conservative and independent voters in Kentucky see it as a symbol of national party control. Social media critics quickly seized on her campaign’s donation link, accusing her of being a “fraud Democrat” and dismissing her as just another party insider.
The reactions were fueled in part by recent investigations into ActBlue itself. In late 2023, the House Administration Committee and several Republican-led state attorneys general began scrutinizing the platform over claims of vulnerabilities in its donor verification process. Concerns were also raised about the lack of Card Verification Value (CVV) requirements, which critics said could allow foreign donations through “unwitting straw donors.”
In response, ActBlue implemented new safeguards, including CVV verification for all new transactions and policies to reject donations tied to high-risk payment methods or countries.
It is important to note that no wrongdoing has been proven against Pam Stevenson’s campaign in connection with ActBlue.
A Candidacy That Can’t Be Ignored — But Can She Win?
Stevenson’s path to victory is steep — but not impossible. Kentucky is a state that leans heavily Republican in federal elections, and her loss in the 2023 attorney general race is a reminder of how difficult it is for Democrats to gain statewide traction. To succeed, she’ll need to energize her Democratic base while also appealing to independents and working-class conservatives who’ve grown quite disillusioned with the status quo.
She will also need to build a strong fundraising operation to match the deep-pocketed GOP contenders — many of whom already have national support and established donor networks. Stevenson’s message of service, justice, and integrity will need to resonate beyond her base and across partisan divides to shift the electoral landscape.
Her campaign will not only test whether a Black woman can be elected to the U.S. Senate in a deep red Southern state — but also whether Kentucky voters are ready for leadership that defies tradition and speaks unapologetically to the needs of all people.
13 & South is a new publication covering news, investigative stories, and insights on social justice, policy, and systemic inequities impacting Southern Black communities. I value your insights, and feedback and invite your perspectives to contribute to future issues. Please feel free to contact me here or follow me on my socials! LinkedIn, Twitter, IG, BlueSky, and Threads.
I hope Kentucky learned that being oppressed by Mitch McConnell and being one of the poorest states for all of his long and horrible reign, is no way to live. Rise up.
Her color shouldn’t matter if she qualified!