Live dataKentucky · 2026 U.S. Senate

Know the problem. Know the candidates. Then vote.

Non-partisan data for Kentucky, drawn from public records and thousands of news stories.

Public databases
12
Behind 20 measured problems
News stories on problems
947
Read and scored one by one
News stories on candidates
1,980
Checked against their public record

The 5 biggest problems in Kentucky

Measured from public government data. Not from opinions or headlines.

  1. 1Grid Reliability

    Worse here than in 43 other states.

    Critical70/100
  2. 2Education Quality

    Among the 5 worst states.

    Critical69/100
  3. 3Mental Health & Addiction Crisis

    Worse here than in 39 other states.

    Critical65/100
  4. 4Job Availability

    Worse here than in 39 other states.

    Moderate65/100
  5. 5Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality

    Worse here than in 35 other states.

    Moderate59/100
See all 20 problems →

Where the news gets Kentucky wrong

We compare what the data says with what the news covers.

  • Education QualityUnder-covered

    The data says education quality is a bigger problem in Kentucky than the news coverage suggests.

  • Grid ReliabilityUnder-covered

    The data says grid reliability is a bigger problem in Kentucky than the news coverage suggests.

  • AI Displacement RiskUnder-covered

    The data says ai displacement risk is a bigger problem in Kentucky than the news coverage suggests.

See every problem compared →

Who is running in Kentucky

Ranked by Leadership Score — how news coverage describes their leadership. 100 is the best score any leader in U.S. history would earn.

  1. Charles Booker
    DemocratParty nominee

    48

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  2. Garland Andy Barr
    RepublicanParty nominee

    28

    Leadership Score (WATT)

Detail breakdown
MeasureCharles BookerGarland Andy Barr
Leadership Score48.0 / 10027.9 / 100
Credit for strengths in the news+55.6+60.5
Deduction for criticism in the news−7.6−32.6
News stories analysed214621
Record ScoreNo voting record — has not served in Congress4.6 / 10

Look at the details

Everything above, with the numbers behind it.

Longer bar means bigger problem

Ranked by government data alone, ignoring headlines and politics. 0 means the problem does not exist. 100 means it is as bad as it gets. The dotted line is the average across all 50 states.

1. Grid Reliability
70 (Critical)Worse than average
2. Education Quality
69 (Critical)Worse than average
3. Mental Health & Addiction Crisis
65 (Critical)Worse than average
4. Job Availability
65 (Moderate)Worse than average
5. Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality
59 (Moderate)Worse than average
6. Food Insecurity
58 (Moderate)Worse than average
7. Digital Divide
57 (Moderate)Worse than average
8. Corporate Influence in Politics
56 (Moderate)Worse than average
9. AI Displacement Risk
56 (Moderate)Worse than average
10. Water Scarcity
50 (Lower)Worse than average