A Q&A With Trainer Dale Romans, Who Has Launched Longshot Bid For The U.S. Senate

[Wandering Eyes]

Dale Romans announced Wednesday morning that he will be running in the Kentucky Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat that has opened up due to the impending retirement of Mitch McConnell. He realizes he is an outsider and a Democrat running in a red state, but he sees a path to victory. Romans sat down with the TDN Wednesday to discuss why he is running for the U.S. Senate, whether or not he thinks he can win and what he would do if elected.

TDN: When and why did you decide to run for the U.S. Senate?
DR: I've always been political behind the scenes, mostly on horse racing immigration issues. I've spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill and have met with a lot of local politicians. This is something I've always been fascinated with. When Mitch McConnell said he wasn't going to run again, I started to think about it. I know it's a big seat for a first-time politician but I thought there was an opportunity to throw my hat in the ring. I went to Governor Beshear first and asked him if he were running and he said no. I asked him what he thought and he said that I wasn't crazy, that this made sense. If a Democrat can win in Kentucky it's going to be someone with deep roots in the state, no voting record, can connect with the people and has a little name recognition. He said I checked all the boxes. I thought I might as well jump in. At this stage in my life, Kentucky has been very good to me and I'd like to give back by being a senator for Kentucky and all of Kentucky.

TDN: In racetrack parlance, it looks like you're 99-1 on the board. Can you overcome those odds?
DR: I think so. I don't think the state is as red as people think it is. We did vote a Democratic Governor in and we've done that several times. We haven't had a Democratic Senator in a long time. (The last Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate from Kentucky was Wendell Ford, who was elected in 1992). But look at the history. We had two Republican institutions in Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell that nobody was ever going to vote out. Rand Paul came around and won, but there's only been that one opportunity to have a Democrat win. As far as being an outsider, I think that's what the people want right now. We need outsiders in Washington. Let's try something different. What we're doing now isn't working.

TDN: You call yourself an “Independent Democrat.” Can you expound on what that means?
DR: I”m running as a Democrat but coming from a red state you have to be independent of the party. You don't have to vote along party lines. I talked with this a lot with Joe Manchin because he is from West Virginia.  He said he always called himself an independent democrat.  He wasn't beholden to the party for everything they did. He said they could never primary you. They can't afford to loose the seat. I plan to vote for what's best for Kentucky and best for the country and be independent in what I  do.

TDN: A lot of people in this country and in Kentucky are struggling right now. You say you can identify with them. Why is that?
DR: I had a single mother who was raising three boys by herself. we lived in Shively, a suburb of Louisville and it was always paycheck-to-paycheck. So I know those struggles because of what I went through. I was sleeping in tack rooms before I started winning races. I also know the struggles of starting a business and what you have to do for payroll and regulations and keeping your workforce available. My life lessons will translate well to Washington.

TDN: You have admitted that you have overcome issues with alcohol. If you were not sober now would you be doing this?
DR: No, I don't think I would have done it then. There are a lot of people who have helped me get things in my life in order. I got my health back, I got my weight down. I quit drinking two years ago. A lot of people helped me and now it's time for me to help people.

TDN: As a U.S. Senator, what can you do to help horse racing?
DR: The biggest thing I can do for horse racing is try to get some funding for the unfunded mandate that's been thrust upon us in HISA. The other big thing is to do some immigration reform. We have a labor force back there and I don't think it's that tough a fix. I don't think the two sides are that far apart. I have talked to a lot of people and that's the reason why I have been on Capitol Hill a few times. They all agree but they don't want to give the other side the win. I don't care if Trump is in office. I will give him the win. Let's just get this fixed.

TDN: Should you win the Democratic primary your likely opponent in the general election will be Congressman Andy Barr. He will surely be a formidable foe. He is a Republican, he's got the name recognition factor and he has also been known to be a friend to horse racing.
DR: I call Andy a friend, but we differ on quite a few issues, one being that he's the one who wrote this unfunded mandate that could bankrupt racing, Andy is a friend. Can I beat him? I'll worry about that if I get through the primary.

TDN: The horse racing industry in Kentucky, particularly in the Lexington area, includes a lot of wealthy people. Have any pledged their support to you? Do you think they will?
DR: I'm hoping they step up for me. I don't know about Lexington, but I've already been very pleasantly surprised how may of my colleagues have already stepped up and donated to me. They have been very supportive.

TDN: You are dyslexic. How did that affect your education and how has it shaped your opinions on our education system?
DR: I didn't get through college. I struggled to get through high school. I think that is another life lesson. I understand how difficult school is to some people like it was for me. Both my kids have advanced degrees and have done very well. I barely got out of high school. It wasn't because a lack of effort; it was a struggle for me. I think there's a different way we can educate people like me.

TDN: IN the 2025 elections, Democrats were successful running on what they were calling “kitchen table issues,” namely affordability. They recognized that people were struggling to pay their bills and hit on a winning theme. Will that be one of the themes of your campaign?
DR: I want to pick up on the themes that are important to the American people and the people of Kentucky.  Those issues are important. They are complicated issues and there are a lot of things that tie into it. One of them is immigration reform. If you take away the work force we have from undocumented laborers that we have right now you'll see there'll be bigger problems when it comes to affordability.  There are a lot of angles to attack it from. We're going to try to get out there and work on all issues that affect Kentuckians.

TDN: The favorite right now in the Democratic primary is Amy McGrath. She has run three times for major offices in Kentucky, for Congress in 2018 and for the Senate in 2020 and 2026. She has lost all three times. Are Democrats experiencing Amy McGrath fatigue?
DR: With all due respect to Amy, I think it's time to try something different. It's time to try something different in Washington and get a different kind of politician in there.

TDN: I take it that you're not a big fan of Chuck Schumer.
DR: I haven't said I'm not a big fan of Chuck Schumer. I said I'm not pledging any support to Chuck Schumer or anyone else until I get there. I won't be beholden to the party and won't always vote for what they want me to vote for. We'll just have to figure that out when I get there…if Schumer lasts that long. I will say that I'm not a fan of the shutdown. I'll tell you that. I never would have voted to shut down the country and never will vote to shut down the country. I don't think there's any issues big enough to keep people from getting their paychecks and the budget of the United States shouldn't be a political pawn.

TDN: You've already talked about your admiration for Joe Manchin. Let's get back to that issue. What is it about Manchin that you like?
DR: I have talked to Senator Manchin. His advice to me was to be authentic and be myself.  He's the one who gave me the title of “Independent Democrat.” He wasn't one beholden to the party because he was from a red state. I talked to him about it before I jumped in because these are very similar situations.  He voted for what he thought was best for West Virginia and what he thought was best for the country. He had both sides mad at him half the time.  If that happens to me, I'd have no problem with it.

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