LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Daniel Cameron won Kentucky’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, becoming the first black gubernatorial candidate from a major party in the state’s history and setting up a November showdown with the Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear.
Cameron, the state attorney general who was endorsed by the former president donald trumpclaimed a convincing victory over a field of 12 candidates that included Kelly Craft, who served as a United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, and state agriculture commissioner Ryan Quarles. Beshear easily dispatched two hidden Democratic challengers in her own primary.
Cameron, the state’s first black attorney general, would be the state’s first black governor if elected. He highlighted the historic nature of his nomination in his victory speech Tuesday, saying his campaign aims to “embody the promise of America, that if you work hard and stick to your principles, anything is possible.”
“For anyone who looks like me, know that you can achieve anything,” Cameron told his followers. “Know that in this country and in Kentucky, the only thing that matters is your values.”
The race now shifts to the general election, which will be one of the most watched contests of November and could provide clues to next year’s presidential race. Beshear, a popular Democratic governor, will face a tough re-election bid in a Republican-dominated state after a first term marked by a series of tragedies: the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and a mass shooting who killed one of his closest friends.
Beshear praised his stewardship of Kentucky’s economy Tuesday, pointing to record successes in economic development, as he set the stage for his fall re-election campaign. And he criticized the tone of the Republican gubernatorial primary after taking months of beatings from Republican candidates.
“Right now, somewhere in the United States, there is a CEO who is deciding where to move his business and he is considering Kentucky,” Beshear told a gathering of supporters. “Let me ask you: Will seeing people badmouth our state and our economy, insult our people, and stoke divisions help the next company choose Kentucky? Of course not.”
The fall showdown between Beshear and Cameron evokes parallels to the state’s latest gubernatorial race, but with a role reversal for the governor. In 2019, Beshear used the attorney general’s office as a springboard for the governorship. During his one term as attorney general, Beshear challenged a series of executive actions by then-governor Matt Bevin, a Republican. Beshear narrowly defeated Bevin in a career that revolved around Bevin’s feisty personality.
Turnout was light in many places as rain fell across much of the state for part of the day, the secretary of state’s office said. Storm warnings were issued in some areas, but there were no reports of voting disruptions. Election officials expected an increase in turnout after the storms passed.
Cameron succeeded Beshear in the attorney general’s office, and the Republican turned the tables on Beshear, filing numerous legal challenges against state and national Democratic policies that endeared him to conservatives. Cameron led the successful challenge that essentially halted the governor’s COVID-era restrictions, which Cameron claimed amounted to executive overreach. Beshear says his actions saved lives and he relied heavily on guidance from Trump’s coronavirus task force.
Cameron, a former aide to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, has risen through the political ranks to become one of the most prominent black Republicans in the country. His victory on Tuesday will influence Trump’s efforts to cement his status as leader of the Republican Party ahead of the 2024 presidential primaries.
If Beshear follows his 2019 campaign formula, he will avoid talking about Trump or dwelling on polarizing national issues that could generate more energy in his opponent’s conservative base.
He is also expected to tap into his family’s strong political brand — his father, Steve Beshear, was a two-term governor of Kentucky and spoke at his son’s primary victory celebration Tuesday — and lean into his role as leader in adversity after a multitude of crises during his first term.
Through it all, Beshear emerged as the leader, holding daily briefings on the pandemic for months and then leading relief efforts to help those devastated by tornadoes and flooding.
Last month, Beshear publicly and emotionally mourned the loss of a close friend who was killed when a Louisville bank employee opened fire with an assault rifle, killing five co-workers. He has frequently invoked his Christian faith as a cornerstone of his efforts to lead the state in difficult times.
In addition to Craft and Quarles, Cameron also defeated state auditor Mike Harmon and Somerset mayor Alan Keck, among others.
But it was the combative rivalry between Cameron and Craft that dominated the primary campaign. Cameron endured a publicity blitz from Craft’s campaign, backed by his family’s fortune, and an outside group supporting his campaign. The pro-Craft group portrayed Cameron as an “establishment teddy bear” by saying that he was not tough enough as attorney general. A pro-Cameron group responded with attacks on Craft, who got a last-minute endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Cameron’s handling of an investigation into the fatal 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police could come under new scrutiny as he campaigns as the Republican candidate. Taylor’s death and the police-related killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests across the country.
Announcing the grand jury’s findings on Taylor’s death, Cameron said jurors “agreed” that the murder charges were not justified against the officers because they were shot. Three of the jurors challenged Cameron’s account, arguing that Cameron’s staff limited their scope and did not give them an opportunity to consider manslaughter charges against police in Taylor’s death.
Cameron’s immediate attention will turn to building party unity for the fall campaign, a task for which he has shown skills in the past. He closed the gulf between Trump and McConnell despite the growing rift between the two GOP heavyweights. Cameron worked as legal counsel to the senator and made a high-profile speech for Trump’s failed re-election campaign at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
The gubernatorial campaign topped the primary elections for other constitutional offices in Kentucky.
Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams, who successfully lobbied to expand voter access, won his primaries against two candidates, including one who questioned the integrity of the election. He faces Democrat Charles “Buddy” Wheatley in November in his re-election bid.
Other primary winners included Republican Allison Ball, who is running for state auditor after two terms as state treasurer, and will now face Democrat Kimberley Reeder, who ran unopposed. Garrard County Attorney Mark Metcalf has won the Republican primary for state treasurer and faces Democrat Michael Bowman in November. The general election race for agriculture commissioner pits Republican Jonathan Shell against Democrat Sierra Enlow, who won their respective primaries. The fall campaign for attorney general will pit Republican Russell Coleman against Democrat Pam Stevenson. Both were unopposed in the primaries.
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