Joel Willett, a former CIA officer and Army veteran, announced his bid to replace U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. The field of candidates has become more competitive in recent days, as Willett joined state Rep. Pam Stevenson and former Secret Service agent Logan Forsythe in the Democratic primary.
Several Republicans have also announced their candidacy, including U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, former Attorney General Daniel Cameron and Lexington businessman Nate Morris.
Willett, who grew up in Louisville, told Kentucky Public Radio he was inspired to run because he believes working class Kentuckians need to be represented by someone who has the same background. Willett has not previously run for public office.
“It's been increasingly hard for me to sit on the sidelines while I watch people who grew up in families like I did and families like mine just become increasingly invisible to a corrupt political and economic system that's steamrolling them every day,” Willett said.
After the Lexington Herald Leader reported Willett was considering running as a Democrat for the Senate seat, the Trump administration revoked his security clearance. At the time Willett was the CEO of Cybermedia Technologies, a Washington-area technology contractor. He said he chose to leave his position rather than embroil the company in his conflict with the administration.
“I put hundreds of people to work every day, and I did not want my dispute with the administration to negatively impact the business or those people who are relying on the business to provide for their own family,” Willett said.
In an interview with NPR last month, Willett said he believes he was one of 37 people whose security clearance was revoked because of his political affiliation and public criticism of the Trump administration. Willett was previously detailed to the White House Situation Room in 2014 and 2015. He has not been quiet since then about his frustration with the first Trump administration. In 2017, Willett wrote an op-ed for the Courier Journal accusing Trump of bullying the intelligence community and was quoted in a 2019 Washington Post article expressing concern over how Trump conducts himself on calls with foreign leaders.
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist, posted on X that all the people who endorsed a letter calling for Trump’s impeachment over foreign interference concerns should have their security clearance revoked “so they can’t get rich off of a President they hate.” Willett’s name was at the top of her list.
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, a few weeks later announced via X that she was revoking clearances for Willett and the other current and former intelligence officials at the president’s direction.
Willett said he believes the second Trump administration demands “unquestioned loyalty” from public servants. He said what he considers attempts to “weaponize the government against anyone who disagrees with them” have made him more determined to run for the Senate seat.
“We're not there to serve one man. We're there to serve the presidency. We're there to serve the American people and our politics don't interfere with our ability to do our jobs,” Willett said. “I think it's important that America has a robust civil service that has people from the left and the right and the center and everywhere in between.”
While Willett declined to discuss details of a policy agenda, he said he wants to prioritize fighting rising costs and address concerns over “education, economic opportunity and health care.”
“You can't have a growing, vibrant economy if you’ve got people getting wiped out from medical bills. You can't have a vibrant and growing economy if you don't have policies that are pro-family,” Willett said. “You start to put all that together, and I think that'll give you a sense of where my heart's at and the priorities that I would have in Washington.”
Willett said he is also in a strong position because of his previous service in the executive branch, seeing how laws get implemented.
“I have an intimate understanding of how that works, and particularly as it relates to national security and keeping this country safe,” Willett said. “Kentucky is not an island unto itself. America is not an island unto itself, and we need people who understand the value of a strong America that remains in a position of global leadership.”
The deadline for candidates to file for the primaries is still months off, and primary election day is scheduled for May 19.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
