Daniel Cameron wins Kentucky attorney general race in historic victory

Joe Sonka | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Attorney general Daniel Cameron gives thanks and discusses new role Newly elected Kentucky attorney general, Daniel Cameron, spoke after his victory was announced and gave thanks and discussed the campaign and new role.

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, won over 57% of the vote, 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 finished his race for governor with 5,000 more votes than incumbent Matt Bevin. Beshear declared victory, though Bevin said he would not yet concede the race.

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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.

In his victory speech to supporters Tuesday night, Cameron specifically thanked McConnell and called for the continued success of the Republican Party, which won all five of the statewide races for constitutional offices besides the race for governor.

"I want to make it very clear that I have an obligation to you all, to the Fraternal Order of Police, to our law enforcement community more broadly, to stem the tide of the drug epidemic," Cameron said. "Hold me accountable to make sure I’m doing everything accountable to improve the outcomes for all of Kentucky.”

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."

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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.

Kentucky election 2019: Democrat Andy Beshear declares victory over Matt Bevin in governor's race. Bevin doesn't concede

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.

Asked about the historic nature of his win, Cameron told reporters “I hope it says to people that look like me, regardless of if they have a Republican or Democratic designation by their name, that it is possible to be an African American and win statewide elected office here in the commonwealth."

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.