If the Republican Party is full of racists and white supremacists, as some Democrats are fond of saying, somebody may want to tell Daniel Cameron. On Tuesday night, Cameron, the state’s current attorney general, ran away with the Republican primary for governor, emerging triumphant from a crowded field.
Cameron just so happens to be black, which goes to prove Democrats wrong again. He’s also the state’s first black gubernatorial nominee from either party.
The attorney general won with 48% of the vote, which means that, since Kentucky’s primary system awards the win to the candidate who gets the most votes with or without a majority, Cameron proceeds to the general election without a runoff.
The Associated Press reports that Cameron pointed out in his victory speech how historic his win is, stating that his campaign goal is to “embody the promise of America, that if you work hard and if you stand on principle, anything is possible.”
Cameron’s win was so decisive that counting the votes was quick and easy, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
“After months of a contentious, expensive, crowded Republican fight to be Kentucky’s next governor, it took just 10 minutes to call the race after the final polls closed,” reports the Courier-Journal’s Olivia Krauth. “Attorney General Daniel Cameron — who topped every poll in the race — officially bested the other 11 Republican gubernatorial candidates Tuesday evening, setting the stage for what is expected to be the nation’s most closely watched election of 2023.”
Former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft, who many thought to be Cameron’s biggest primary competition, finished in a disappointing third place after spending $11 million of her family’s own money to campaign.
Thank you, Kentucky!
Makenze and I are both humbled and honored. Let’s do this. #TeamCameron pic.twitter.com/2fjfzDJpH6
— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronAG) May 17, 2023
Cameron was jubilant as he greeted his supporters with, “Hello, Kentucky! How ’bout those polls? Sounds like Kentucky is ready for a new governor.”
“To anyone who looks like me, know that you can achieve anything,” he added. “Know that in this country and in Kentucky, all that matters are your values.”
Related: LIVE RESULTS: Primaries in Kentucky and Pennsylvania
Cameron will go on to face Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat. The mainstream media goes far out of its way to remind readers how “popular” Beshear is, as though Cameron has an impossible task on his hands. But the Bluegrass State is deep red, with the GOP dominating both houses of the General Assembly. A January poll declared that Cameron stands the best chance of defeating Beshear in the general election.
Beshear and Cameron have similar paths to elected office. The AP points out that “The fall matchup between Beshear and Cameron conjures parallels from the state’s last governor’s race but with a reversal of roles for the governor. In 2019, Beshear used the attorney general’s office as a springboard to the governorship.”
Cameron has long been a critic of Beshear’s leadership, and he led the fight against Beshear’s draconian COVID-19 policies. He told the Daily Caller in April, “Andy Beshear doesn’t represent Kentucky’s values. I’ve had to fight Beshear’s agenda so many times as attorney general, that I decided to do something about it and run to defeat him. They don’t know he’s actually a liberal — who pretends to be a moderate. But they will by the time November rolls around.”
It’s worth noting that Cameron also claimed endorsements from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who Cameron worked for previously, and Donald Trump. Can he serve to unite both wings of the GOP? All eyes will be on Kentucky this fall to see if Cameron can unseat Beshear.
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