$28.9K
MAY 20, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Current roleFormer State Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age41 years old (Oct 20, 1984)
GenderMale
LocationKentucky
BackgroundPolitician
EducationUniversity of Louisville — B.S. (political science)
Notable personal detailsCharles Booker is an American politician from Louisville, Kentucky who served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 43rd district from 2019 to 2021. He has been a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky (2020, 2022) and filed to run again for U.S. Senate in the 2026 cycle. He earned a B.S. in political science and a J.D. from the University of Louisville.
Supports large-scale government economic interventions including Universal Basic Income, baby bonds/Universal Basic Capital, reparations, and Medicare for All, and opposes tax cuts that benefit billionaires and corporations. Advocates direct government programs to reduce poverty, build generational wealth, and invest in communities.
Supports Medicare for All and describes healthcare as a human right; advocates for a single-payer system to provide universal, affordable care and cites Medicaid expansion benefits as evidence that public coverage improves health and local economies.
Supports creating legal pathways and relief for undocumented immigrants, including a path to citizenship and protections for DACA recipients, while calling for reforms to detention and asylum processing. Emphasizes humane treatment of migrants and undoing Trump-era restrictive immigration policies.
Supports codifying federal protections for abortion access and opposes state-level near-total bans; intends to vote for federal legislation that protects abortion rights and has publicly condemned Kentucky’s restrictive laws. Advocates protecting reproductive healthcare access, including measures to prevent punishment of people who travel for care and defending services such as IVF and maternal health supports.
Supports aggressive climate action including transitioning away from fossil fuels, backing a Green New Deal–style program, and investing in renewable energy and community-led mine reclamation and job programs. Proposes a climate corps and large-scale public investment to rebuild infrastructure, create union jobs, and address environmental justice in frontline communities.
Supports universal background checks, closing the Charleston loophole, enforcement of wait times, and measures to prevent weapons of war from devastating communities; opposes permitless concealed carry and supports treating gun violence as a public-health crisis while pursuing policing reforms and alternatives to traditional policing.
Booker’s Democratic nominee market slipped from an intraday peak near 99.9% to about 92% after fresh reporting confirmed he won the Kentucky primary. The move matters mostly as post-result cleanup in a very one-sided race, but it can still affect anyone trying to price the final bit of nomination uncertainty.
Booker’s nominee market tightened further after fresh primary results and AP coverage confirmed he won the Democratic primary, leaving the contract effectively at a lock. That makes the remaining price mostly a cleanup move, but it can still matter for anyone trading the last bit of primary uncertainty.
New local coverage is keeping Charles Booker at the center of Kentucky’s Democratic Senate primary on the eve of the May 19 vote, reinforcing his frontrunner status in a market already pricing him near certainty.
Charles Booker is the front-runner in Kentucky’s Democratic Senate primary and is pitching a statewide organizing effort focused on wages, healthcare, and grassroots turnout. He has said Democrats can compete in conservative parts of Kentucky, though he also acknowledged the general election would be difficult if he wins the nomination. The race is moving through early voting, while Republicans have already chosen Andy Barr as their nominee, making the general election matchup clearer.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
2026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
