Let’s work under the aspirational assumption that seven-term Kentucky (allegedly) Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is finally retiring in 2026. Minds of that bent will then turn lightly toward selecting his replacement.
The Bluegrass State is pretty solidly Republican. McConnell won his seventh term in 2020 with 57.8 percent of the vote. So, the party primary is mostly what matters. And a state this Republican-leaning will likely draw a lot of Republican primary candidates.
Meanwhile, the world has just experienced a change of political epochs. The change agent goes by the name of President Donald Trump. Call the epochs’ Pre-Trump and Post-Trump. A lot of things with which alleged Republicans got away Pre-Trump should cause immediate dis-consideration Post-Trump.
Let’s apply this epochal thinking to the Kentucky Republican primary and a possible McConnell replacement. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Nate Morris.
Let’s begin with Morris’ political activities. Morris is a longtime, big-time political donor—and fundraiser—going all the way back to at least George W. Bush in 2004. He was one of Trump’s biggest donors in 2024.
Let not the latter lead you to think Morris is thus imbued with political immunity. As the old joke goes about the donor and the recipient, “I’m not supporting him—he’s supporting me.”
Morris has deeply ingratiated himself in Kentucky. And by that I mean with political money. He’s also a huge donor to Kentucky’s other Republican senator, Rand Paul. Now, I like Paul a whole lot more than I do McConnell. But again, political immunity does not imbue.
This brings us to the business Morris co-founded and until recently fronted: Rubicon (originally Rubicon Global). Here’s where we run into a very real problem. Rubicon is a giant waste recycling company. And recycling is, for the most part, a decades-long government subsidy money grab:
“At Grants.gov, you’ll find an easily-searchable and comprehensive list of federal grant programs. A search on terms like ‘recycle’ or ‘recycling’ will display a list of what’s available.”
But of course, it’s governments at every level subsidizing recycling. Like, say, in Kentucky.
And plastic recycling is a titanic scam:
“‘Plastic is not designed to be recycled – despite industries and governments telling the public that we should recycle plastic.’”
So, Morris’ recycling company is inordinately similar to a wind or solar fake energy company. It’s all about the government Benjamins.
Which leads us to the other Leftist things Morris did whilst running Rubicon. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) anyone?:
“Rubicon Founder, Chairman, and CEO Nate Morris has signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ (CEO Action) pledge. Launched in 2017, CEO Action is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace.”
What, do they not like equity?
How about some Morris Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)?:
“We encourage you to download Rubicon’s first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report to read more about what Rubicon is doing to transform the entire category of waste and recycling.”
I encourage you not to eat prior to downloading Rubicon’s first ESG report.
And I know every true conservative makes hires like this:
“David Plouffe, the former top aide to President Barack Obama, has joined the board of advisers of Rubicon, the waste management company co-founded by Nate Morris….”
So, Morris is someone who built a business on government subsidies and destructive Leftist idiocies.
And now Morris prospectively wants to be a Republican senator? Representing conservative Kentucky?
Morris is, at best, a Pre-Trump Republican. He should be politico non grata in our Post-Trump world.
