Kentucky GOP Gov Candidate Touts Trump Endorsement After Trouncing DeSantis-Backed Challenger

Kentucky’s Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, praised former President Donald Trump and touted his endorsement after winning the gubernatorial GOP primary Tuesday evening, besting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ endorsed candidate by a massive margin.

The attorney general overwhelmingly won the Republican nomination with 47.7% of the vote, and will challenge Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in November. Cameron beat the DeSantis-backed candidate, and former Trump administration official, Kelly Craft by roughly 30 points, prompting the GOP nominee to take a jab at the Florida governor after his big win.

“A big thank you to President Donald J. Trump for his support and his endorsement of this campaign,” Cameron said in his victory speech. “Let me just say, the Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky!” (RELATED: Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron Wins GOP Gubernatorial Primary, Will Challenge Dem Gov)

Daniel Cameron after winning the GOP nomination in the Kentucky governor race:

“The Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky.” pic.twitter.com/V6RkHDKHLI

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 17, 2023

Craft, who served in the Trump administration for four years as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada and the U.N. Ambassador after Nikki Haley’s departure, received a last-minute endorsement from DeSantis ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

“I’m strongly encouraging you to go out and vote for my friend, Kelly Craft. Kelly shares the same vision we do in Florida. She will stand up to the left as they try to indoctrinate our children with their woke ideology,” DeSantis said in a video. “Kelly will fight against crazy ESG policies that are trying to end the coal industry in Kentucky. And Kelly’s going to do everything in her power to end the fentanyl crisis that is hurting Kentucky families.”

Cameron is the first black Kentuckian to serve as the gubernatorial nominee for a major political party in the state. When elected as attorney general, he became the first black Kentuckian to be independently elected to a statewide office, as well as the first Republican attorney general since 1948.

“Cameron started the campaign with a large lead in the polls and, for a variety of reasons, the other candidates were never really able to cut into that lead,” Tres Watson, Kentucky Republican political consultant, told the Daily Caller News Foundation following Cameron’s victory. “The Cameron campaign was able to effectively portray him as the frontrunner and ride that initial lead to the nomination.”

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