LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Whether they voted for him or not, Kentucky Republican leaders are getting behind Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

What You Need To Know

  • Kentucky Republicans are getting behind Attorney General Daniel Cameron ahead of the November general election

  • Cameron secured the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday

  • Opponents Kelly Craft and Ryan Quarles called for party unity in their concession speeches

 Last September, Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, joined Kelly Craft as she announced her candidacy for governor.

“I think she’ll be the kind of governor we can all be very proud of,” he said then.

Tuesday, the voters chose Cameron as the Republican nominee out of a crowded field of candidates.

As they conceded the race, his opponents called for party unity.

“We must now come together, united as one Republican party to defeat Andy Beshear in November,” said Craft.

“If we are going to defeat Andy Beshear, we have all come together, and it starts right now,” said Ryan Quarles.

“As all of the candidates said last night, we’re completely united and behind Daniel Cameron’s candidacy and we feel really good about our argument,” Nemes said Wednesday. “We feel really good about our candidate and … we know it’s time for a change and the case to be prosecuted against Andy Beshear is a strong one and we can’t wait to get to it.”

Nemes, who serves as House Majority Whip in the Kentucky legislature, criticized the governor for Louisville’s murder rate.

There were more than 100 homicides in the city during each of the last two years, according to Louisville Metro Police Department data.

Nemes also pointed to the number of drug overdoses in Kentucky.

Information from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center shows overdose deaths last year decreased 5% from the record total of more than 2,250 deaths in 2021. 

“He also vetoed the income tax, House Bill 8 from last year, which would reduce income tax on hardworking Kentuckians,” said Nemes. “This governor is not on the side of the working man in Kentucky.”

In his veto statement on last year’s House Bill 8, Beshear pointed to the new taxes it imposed on services.

This year, Beshear signed a bill that came out of House Bill 8 to lower the income tax to 4% next year.

Spectrum News 1 will be sharing how Democrats plan to help Beshear get re-elected in our continuing coverage of the 2023 campaign.  

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