EXCLUSIVE: Why President Trump's former physician backs Andy Barr in his Senate run

One of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress is supporting Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.)’s Senate bid, the Washington Reporter can exclusively confirm.

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), who before serving in Congress was Trump’s physician, is backing Barr’s campaign to represent Kentucky in the state’s open Senate race.

“We need more MAGA patriots in the U.S. Senate to support President Trump and the America First agenda. Kentucky could send no one better into the fight than my friend Andy Barr,” Jackson said. “With Andy in the Senate, we will have one more champion to work with who will always have President Trump’s back and help us deliver the agenda we promised to the millions of Texans and Kentuckians who supported this historic MAGA movement. I’m behind Andy Barr all the way.”

Barr added that “as a Congressman and decorated Navy Admiral, Dr. Jackson has always served with distinction and put America First. There is no one with a greater pulse on the MAGA movement than Dr. Jackson, who has done so much to support President Trump in the White House and in Congress. I’m honored to have his endorsement.”

The two have worked on a series of bills together in Congress that advance and complement Trump’s agenda, including the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 and the Dismantle DEI Act.

If Barr wins Kentucky’s GOP primary, he may face off in a general election against Amy McGrath, a Democrat Barr defeated in 2018, an otherwise disastrous year for his party.

Throughout his campaign for Senate, Barr has received almost 200 “major endorsements” from Republicans in Kentucky and from around the country. Joining Jackson in backing Barr are Reps. Steve Scalise (R., La.), Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), and over half of his House GOP colleagues. At the end of the most recent quarter, Barr also had almost $7 million cash on hand.