Booker was a candidate in the Democratic Party's primary for the 2020 U.S. Senate race in Kentucky, drawing national attention before ultimately losing a close race to former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath.[2] In April 2021, Booker formed an exploratory committee for the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Kentucky against incumbent U.S. senator Rand Paul,[3] and formally announced that he is running on July 1, 2021.[4] He later won that nomination.