Republican Daniel Cameron elected Kentucky's first African American attorney general

Joe Sonka | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky general election 2019: Kentucky AG candidate Daniel Cameron Kentucky Attorney General candidate Daniel Cameron met with the Courier Journal editorial board. October 17, 2019.

Republican Daniel Cameron was elected Kentucky's next attorney general Tuesday —the first African American to ever win a race for the office and the first Republican to do so in over 70 years.

Cameron, a 33-year old first-time candidate from Louisville, had about 57% of the vote when the Associated Press called the race in his favor, beating Democratic nominee Greg Stumbo — the former speaker of the House attempting a political comeback after losing his seat three years ago.

The Republican will replace Democrat Andy Beshear as attorney general, who was still locked in a tight race for governor against incumbent Matt Bevin.

The former general counsel for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Cameron has worked as an attorney for Frost Brown Todd over the past two years.

Cameron said in the campaign that his priorities as attorney general would be to tackle Kentucky's opioid epidemic and crimes against children, in addition to ensuring Kentucky does not become a so-called "sanctuary state" for undocumented immigrants.

His campaign's push against illegal immigration tied into Cameron's efforts to nationalize the race, using conservative social issues like abortion and portraying himself in ads as a defender of President Donald Trump's agenda.

Kentucky Freedom Fund, a PAC affiliated with the Republican Attorneys General Association, spent the most of any group in the race on television ads, launching attacks on Stumbo's character, calling him a "despicable deadbeat" and referring to him as "Greg SCUMBO."

Stumbo, who had previously served for one term as attorney general, attempted to make the race about Cameron's relative lack of legal experience, as he had never prosecuted a case in a courtroom.

Cameron's campaign countered that attack by using Stumbo's long career against him, with one ad calling him a "Frankfort swamp creature."

Another Cameron ad claimed that Stumbo wanted to make Kentucky a sanctuary state because he once supported undocumented immigrants being eligible to receive provisional driver's licenses, which he said would subject the state to the import of "Mexican meth."

Republicans' efforts to nationalize the race were boosted late in the campaign by highlighting a fundraising email written for Stumbo by Hillary Clinton, as well as Trump holding a large rally in Lexington on the eve of the election.

Cameron was able to win the Republican nomination in May with the support of his former boss McConnell and the senator's political allies, knocking off a Republican state Sen. Wil Schroder.

Once sworn into office, Cameron will become just the second African American to ever hold a statewide elected office in Kentucky. Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton, also a Republican, was the first to do so in 2015.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4472 and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courierjournal.com/subscribe.