Charles Booker

Charles Booker is an only child in a very large extended family, describing himself as one of more than 70 grandchildren.¹ Both his parents are ministers, and he now describes himself as a single father.¹ He grew up in Louisville's West End and has spoken about homelessness and rationing insulin because he could not afford enough.²

Booker earned political science and law degrees at the University of Louisville.³ His jobs included education and equity policy work at the Louisville Urban League and managing neighborhood initiatives for the Louisville Independent Business Alliance.⁴ He was elected to the Kentucky House in 2018, representing part of Louisville.⁵

After his first Senate campaign, he founded Hood to the Holler, an organization seeking to connect rural and urban communities and address poverty.⁵ In 2023, Governor Andy Beshear appointed him to lead the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement.³ Booker left that post before launching this campaign, following earlier Senate bids in 2020 and 2022.⁶

His current platform supports a state administered public health insurance option that residents could buy into, alongside expanded drug price negotiations.⁷ He also proposes congressional term limits, a stock trading ban for lawmakers and a moratorium on new AI data centers.⁸⁹ He faces Republican Andy Barr on November 3 for the open Senate seat Mitch McConnell is leaving after decades in office.⁶