CNN’s Scott Jennings Mulling Senate Run, Waiting For Trump’s OK: Report
One of CNN’s few conservative on-air contributors is believed to be mulling a major career move, but he’s reportedly waiting for President Donald Trump’s blessing.
Kentucky-born Scott Jennings is said to be considering running for retiring former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s seat, according to various reports. But he apparently won’t do it if Trump doesn’t sign off.
“If the president wants me, I’ll run,” the veteran political strategist said during an afterparty following Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Daily Beast reported.
BREAKING: CNN’s Scott Jennings says he will run for Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat if President Trump wants him to. pic.twitter.com/vp2tw9CUTk
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) April 30, 2025
“If he wants somebody else, I’ll support that candidate,” added Jennings, a onetime adviser to McConnell and a member of then-President George W. Bush’s administration.
The New York Post reported that Jennings’ consideration of a Senate run was “certainly not fake.”
Jennings, 47, has become a standout commentator thanks to frequent appearances on CNN’s “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” over the past year. His debates with liberal pundits and defenses of Trump administration policies have won praise from both Republicans and Democrats.
Last month, CNN gave Jennings a significant pay raise and a new contract, even though he wasn’t granted his own show, The Post added.
“He defends me all the time on CNN, and he defends me really well, but he can’t go too far because he’ll get fired,” Trump remarked of Jennings at a campaign-style rally in Warren, Mich., Tuesday to commemorate his 100th day in office.
During the event, Trump invited Jennings on stage with him, joking that it would be “the end” of his TV appearances.
“Michigan, we were flying in here today, and I said, ‘Look at these farms. I’ve got to get a farm in Michigan — because when you own as many libs as I do, you gotta get a place to put them all,” Jennings quipped after Trump handed him the mic.
“I think he relishes a role in challenging the overwhelmingly liberal audience,” ex-Obama adviser and CNN commentator Van Jones said of Jennings in an interview with the Daily Caller in January. “But he also understands television. The heel has to be more of a likable rascal than someone who’s just perceived as utterly evil. He knows how to dance that dance. It’s a rare gift.”
“Could I nominate [Scott Jennings] for the United States Senate from the Commonwealth of Kentucky? He’d be a hell of a McConnell replacement,” conservative radio host Erick Erickson tweeted in February.
But if Jennings decides to run for McConnell’s seat, it won’t be a cakewalk. Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced his candidacy within minutes of McConnell announcing his retirement in February — and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) joined the contest last week, The Post reported.
Lexington businessman Nate Morris, another prospective GOP candidate, has labeled both Cameron and Barr as “puppets” of the former Senate majority leader in social media posts.
“I’m not gonna let Mitch McConnell dictate whether I run or not,” Morris said in a February post on X. “Mitch McConnell, unfortunately, has sold Kentucky conservatives out for years now. He’s turned his back on us — and he’s turned his back on President Trump.”
So far, Trump has yet to make a formal endorsement.
During the first of two events marking his initial 100 days in office on Tuesday, Trump surprised Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a likely 2028 presidential contender, by unexpectedly calling her to the podium.
He was addressing military members at Selfridge Air National Guard Base northeast of Detroit when he singled her out, according to video clips circulating online.
“I want to thank Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer,” the president began. “You know, I’m not supposed to do that. She’s a Democrat. They say, ‘don’t do that, don’t have her here.’ I said, ‘No, she’s going to be here… she’s done a very good job.’”
