LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron and other down ballot candidates pursuing office this November addressed a crowd of Republicans at the Jefferson County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner Wednesday night.
“Andy Beshear went around a lot in 2020 telling folks that they were essential or nonessential,” said Cameron. “Well, come November 7th, we’re going to tell Andy Beshear that he is nonessential.”
Cameron touted his recent endorsement from the Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police and said his public safety plan would focus on carjackings and fentanyl.
He criticized Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear for vetoing Senate Bill 150 this year, which bans gender transition services for children and Senate Bill 83 in 2022, which prohibits trans girls from playing girls’ sports.
“We will protect our kids from transgender surgeries,” said Cameron. “We are going to protect women’s sports and we are going to get our income tax rate down to zero as quickly as we possibly can.”
Beshear has said he opposes gender transition surgeries for children, but that Senate Bill 150 was broader than that.
The law also restricts the bathrooms students can use and allows teachers to mis-gender students.
Cameron has the support of former UK swimmer Riley Gaines, who in 2022 backed Senate Bill 83 from Cameron’s running mate State Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson.
Gaines rose to prominence in 2022 after tying for fifth place in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship with Lia Thomas, the first openly trans woman to compete in collegiate swimming. Gaines often speaks against including transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I get called brave all the time, and it blows my mind because I really am saying, like, the most basic thing that you could possibly say. And it’s that men and women are different and women deserve respect,” said Gaines.
Reflecting on her comments last year in support of Mills’ bill, Gaines said she had grown in her confidence in “seeing the truth.”
“I was so apologetic in what I wrote,” said Gaines. “I adhered to the pronoun nonsense.”
Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell also provided remarks at the dinner, which is an annual fundraiser for the Jefferson County Republican Party and candidates.