Daniel Cameron, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, speaks to a crowd gathered inside the Barren Fiscal Courtroom on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Cameron was in the area to speak with constituents.
(PHOTO BY BRENNAN CRAIN/WCLU NEWS)
By BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News
GLASGOW — In one of his first public appearance’s since filing paperwork to run for governor of Kentucky on Tuesday, Daniel Cameron spoke to a crowded gathering in Barren County on Thursday morning.
Cameron, a Republican, was joined by his wife Makenze as he spoke to the congregation of about 75 people huddled inside the Barren Fiscal Courtroom. Among his approximate 10-minute oration, Cameron explained key elements of his campaign.
“Common sense and fair play are important principles that we are going to be talking about and articulating during the course of this campaign,” he said. “What I think we lack in our governor’s office right now is just that – that sense and that belief of common sense and fair play.”
The candidate said many of Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s policies throughout the pandemic — such as mandated closings and quarantines — lacked common sense. He also touted his office’s success in rescinding Beshear’s executive order through legal action in federal court.
“We were able to get that executive order overturned and people were able to return to church and worship in the way that they saw fit,” Cameron said.
He also explained another theme throughout his campaign will be shared values. Cameron said Beshear does not understand shared values considering his record of silence on key issues like Kentucky’s fossil fuel industry and the state’s energy strategy.
The audience engaged the candidate with several questions, which ranged from fentanyl trafficking, right-to-work laws and electric vehicles.
“We’ve got to have a governor in Kentucky that represents those shared values and is willing to speak out on these big issues that are having local impact in the commonwealth of Kentucky,” he said. “I hope to build an alliance of governors that will stand up for the shared values of their communities but are also going to push back to the excesses of the federal government.”
The candidate was also in Warren County for a campaign stop on Thursday afternoon. He joins a crowded pool of Republican candidates, including the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and former Trump UN Ambassador and Glasgow-native, Kelly G. Craft.
Barren County Judge/Executive Jamie Byrd said in a social media post that she would encourage any candidate for governor to visit the fiscal courtroom to connect with citizens.
Cameron is the state’s current attorney general. If elected, he would be the state’s first Black governor.