Kentucky Republicans nominate Trump-endorsed abortion rights opponent for governor

Kentucky Republicans nominated Daniel Cameron, the current state attorney general, in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary. He will face Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in November’s general election.

Cameron’s campaign website notes that he served as legal counsel to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and “helped with the confirmation processes for President Trump’s conservative federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.”

In 2019, he was elected attorney general on a promise that he would not use the office as a stepping stone to run for governor. “The last four AGs were more aspiring governors than they were law enforcement officials,” he told voters. “I am running for attorney general and nothing else.”

In that position, he pushed a right-wing agenda. 

In March 2020, he tweeted, “I’m calling on Kentucky abortion providers to follow the same laws as other medical professionals and stop performing elective procedures during #COVID19.” 

He backed an abortion ban passed by the GOP-controlled legislature, with no exceptions even in cases of rape and incest, saying, “I continue to stand in support of that law and will continue to stand up for life.” 

In February, Cameron appeared at an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center known for offering misinformation to pregnant people and praised it as “an amazing resource.”

Cameron earned the endorsement of Kentucky Right to Life Victory PAC after receiving a 100% score on the group’s questionnaire. That questionnaire asks candidates to commit to backing a federal constitutional amendment granting legal personhood to fetuses and to support bans on medication abortion, on funding medical providers who offer abortions, and on embryonic medical research.

He supported an unconstitutional school voucher program, which would have allowed public funding of private and parochial schools. 

In August 2020, Cameron spoke at the Republican National Convention, calling himself a proud supporter of President Donald Trump. “But even as anarchists mindlessly tear up American cities while attacking police and innocent bystanders, we Republicans do recognize those who work in good faith towards peace, justice, and equality,” he said. “Republicans will never turn a blind eye to unjust acts, but neither will we accept this all-out assault on Western civilization.”

After deciding to run for governor, Cameron sought and received Trump’s endorsement. Asked at a GOP debate about the May 9 court verdict finding the former president liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996, Cameron reiterated that he was still proud of Trump’s endorsement and tried to tie it to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had nothing to do with the civil case.

“I don’t know the specifics of the civil complaint and I understand it was something that involved something 30 years ago, but I’m honored to have President Trump’s endorsement,” he said. “I do know that Alvin Bragg in New York has weaponized the political system and the judicial system to try to destroy President Trump. But he has endorsed my campaign for governor. He is a fighter, and I am a fighter, and I’m going to continue to fight for the working women and men of this Commonwealth.”

At a May 1 debate, Cameron proposed making it harder for low-income families in Kentucky to access health insurance through Medicaid, proposing new work requirements. In 2019, the federal Government Accountability Office estimated a similar proposal by Republican then-Gov. Matt Bevin would cost Kentucky more than $270 million. Public health experts predicted that the plan would imperil coverage for 136,000 Kentuckians. 

Cameron has touted reaching settlements with pharmaceutical companies over their role in the opioid epidemic while accepting thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the same drug companies. 

“After a nasty, expensive, and extreme primary, Daniel Cameron is entering the race for Governor in Kentucky bruised and battered,” Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement on Tuesday night. “As each candidate fought to prove they were the most extreme and out of touch with Kentuckians, Cameron has the failed record to back that up.”

The Cook Political Report rates the Nov. 7 general election as leaning Democratic. 

Morning Consult polling between January and March found Beshear’s approval rating at 63%-32%, making him the most popular Democratic incumbent governor in the country. 

A survey by the same firm, taken between October and December 2022, found a similar 60%-34% job rating for Beshear. That poll found that 46% of Kentucky Republican voters approved of Beshear’s job performance.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.