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Cameron’s Trump endorsement is a big boost. How are other candidates responding? [1]
['Jonathan Palmer', 'The Associated Press']
Date: 2022-08
Former President Donald Trump and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft appear at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby’s 148th Run for the Roses, May 7, 2022. Herald-Leader
Former president Donald Trump made waves in Kentucky politics on Thursday when he endorsed Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s run for governor in 2023.
Coming 11 months early, not many in Kentucky conservative circles expected the endorsement to land when it did.
“I was frankly surprised by how early it came, but I’m not surprised that he thinks of Daniel fondly.” Scott Jennings, a CNN political commentator who has worked for Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, said, referencing Cameron’s previous visits to the White House as well as a speech he delivered during the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Trump’s endorsement does not have a bulletproof record since he left the White House, but most agree that his backing helps Cameron distinguish himself early in the GOP race to see who will take on Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. As an added flex, Cameron’s team released an internal poll – paid for by his team – that claimed to show him with a 30 percentage point lead over Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles.
But Quarles and several others indicated they were undeterred by the news of Trump’s endorsement.
Kelly Craft, a potential candidate for governor who has toured the state speaking at several Republican political events, released a confident statement in response to an inquiry about Trump’s endorsement of Cameron.
“I have spent the last year traveling around Kentucky talking to voters and hearing the issues that are important to them,” Craft wrote. “The support and confidence I have received throughout the state has been humbling and encouraging.”
“My faith, family and principles will always be the compass I follow. I am enthusiastic and motivated about helping Kentucky – Stay tuned.”
“Stay tuned” is the same phrase that Cameron used shortly before jumping in the race last month.
Craft served as both U.S. Ambassador to Canada and to the United Nations in Trump’s administration. She also was spotted, along with her GOP megadonor and coal magnate husband Joe Craft, next toTrump at the Kentucky Derby last month.
“I think both Daniel and Kelly render Trump great service in their own ways – Kelly as an appointee and as a political donor, and Daniel as a messenger. I think both of them had a lot to offer Trump and were quite loyal to him, so I’m sure both were vigorously trying to earn his endorsement,” Jennings said, adding that he believes Craft will join the race eventually.
Quarles, in his response, pointed to the high number of county judge-executives backing him – 30 of the state’s 120 – along with other local leaders. The comment was a contrast to the Trump announcement, focusing on a more grassroots Kentucky base of support than the star power that Cameron has attracted in his role.
The current commissioner of agriculture also touts 23 endorsements from state-level elected officials.
Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, staked her lane in the race earlier this month by launching a run to the right of the rest of the pack. In a statement, she emphasized that she believes that she’s the one who fought the hardest against Gov. Andy Beshear’s use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I entered this race with no presumption of receiving President Trump’s endorsement, but with every expectation of standing out as an authentic conservative who has led from the front in resisting Andy Beshear’s big government overreach every step of the way. Kentuckians will choose a candidate who has a proven track record of defending our constitutional rights and freedoms,” Maddox said.
Auditor Mike Harmon said that the endorsement “doesn’t change anything” for his run, and that he wished he would have had the chance to get in front of Trump.
The endorsement prompted a dramatic change in course for one candidate. Retired Northern Kentucky attorney Eric Deters announced the same night that he’d run as an Independent.
““I’m going to be a realist: I can’t beat the sitting attorney general who’s got the endorsement of Donald Trump,” Deters said of a GOP primary contest. Last month, before Cameron announced his run, Deters stated that he believed the contest for Trump’s endorsement was between him and Craft.
A few other people who have reportedly been mulling runs weighed in as well.
Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, told the Courier-Journal that he was “keeping all options on the table.”
Mayor of Somerset Alan Keck, who’s said he’s considering a run for the state’s top post, opened his statement criticizing both Beshear and Joe Biden, saying they’re both “failures who are wrecking our economy.”
“We need leaders that will protect our family values, who will step up and put forward a bold, conservative vision to get our state and country back on track. President Trump knew how to jumpstart our economy, and Kentucky needs someone with business and executive experience to do the exact same,” said Keck, who was a businessman before he became Somerset’s chief executive.
A previous lieutenant governor candidate alongside former governor Matt Bevin, Sen. Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester, said last month that he was considering a run for governor in 2023. He also said that Bevin was looking at the office again.
Neither Alvarado nor Bevin responded to a request for comment by press time.
How does this change things?
It’s not often that candidates admit that a competitor gained an edge in the political horse race.
Though Trump has swung and missed on a few recent gubernatorial primary endorsements – Georgia, Idaho and Nebraska 2022 candidates included – his backing is still credited with pumping up several contenders’ chances in recent races.
“Generally, Trump’s endorsement is still very, very good and extremely helpful. I have no doubt it’ll be a big boost to Cameron’s campaign,” Jennings said. “I don’t think it’s fatal to the other campaigns, but you’d certainly rather have it than not have it if you were in their situation.”
University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss said it doesn’t help some of the others in the race – in particular, he said it would soften the harm of a potential attack from the right on Cameron.
“Trump endorsing Cameron is especially bad news for Savannah Maddox, I think,” Voss said. “She lacks the name recognition of the statewide election officials, and as a ‘Liberty’ Republican her advantage would have likely been building a big following among the Trump faction of the electorate.”
Prominent player in ‘Liberty’ Republican circles Andrew Cooperrider, an ally of Maddox’s who lost a several hundred thousand dollar primary race to Sen. Donald Douglas last month, said that he thinks Maddox’s odds are better if Craft decides to jump in.
“I would say it’s better for Savannah’s campaign if Craft got in. I don’t foresee Craft picking up much from Savannah because Savannah has a base. What does that base translate into on election day? I don’t know,” Cooperrider said.
Having knocked on several doors in the past few months, Cooperrider added that some registered Republicans have a strong distaste from Trump. So while the Trump endorsement helps on the whole, Cooperrider guessed that for a small chunk of primary voters, the former president’s blessing would hurt more than help.
Cooperrider also told the Herald-Leader that he’s considering a run for the statewide office currently held by term-limited Treasurer Alison Ball, who has said she’s considering a run for auditor to replace Harmon.
Voss added that Trump’s endorsement might be less of a material boost for Cameron than it is a signal of Trump’s perception that he’s “a winner.”
“Endorsements seem to matter not just because they help the recipients, but also because the politicians giving endorsements like to back winners, and they’re trying to read the tea leaves before they release those endorsements,” Voss said.
The Trump-McConnell angle
The move has also fueled some speculation about what it means for Trump and McConnell’s notoriously tense relationship.
Cameron, who served as legal counsel for McConnell from 2015 to 2017, has often been seen as the protege of the Senate Minority Leader.
Voss said that Trump’s endorsement of Cameron is surprising given the public clashes between Trump and McConnell over the last couple of years. Jennings, who has close ties to McConnell, said that he thinks there’s nothing much to takeaway about the publicly frayed relationship between the two giants of the Republican party.
“I wouldn’t take away anything from it other than that Daniel Cameron is his own man,” Jennings said. “I think a lot of people over-interpret that Daniel takes his marching orders solely from Mitch McConnell… I think it actually speaks more about Daniel’s autonomy from anyone else than it does about anything about McConnell and Trump.”
He added that he expects McConnell to run again in 2026, as some have speculated that Cameron is the heir apparent to the 80-year-old Senator.
“I think Mitch McConnell is at the top of his game, and I expect him to run for reelection. He is the senior Senator from Kentucky, he’s the Republican leader, and I’ve heard no indication that he’s planning on stopping anytime soon. My personal view for anybody who’s out there plotting on ‘26 is as I’m concerned, Mitch McConnell is going to be the senator.”
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 7:55 AM.
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