by Phillip M. Bailey, Louisville Courier Journal

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(Photo: Photo courtesy of Caleb A Wilson)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s former legal counsel is thinking about running for Kentucky attorney general, setting up a historic opportunity for Republicans to break another glass ceiling in Bluegrass politics.

Attorney Daniel Cameron, a Republican, told the Courier Journal on Friday that if he enters the contest he wants to focus on the state’s pain pill crisis and help curtail homicide rates in urban areas.

“I am very, very seriously considering this,” Cameron said.

Cameron, 33, a former University of Louisville football player, was raised in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where his father owned a local coffee shop and his mother was a professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

Cameron graduated from law school at U of L in 2011 before he worked for two years as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove. He then moved on as McConnell’s legal counsel for a little more than two years, where he was responsible for ensuring the office was compliant with Senate ethics rules.

As McConnell’s general counsel, he also handled a legislative portfolio that dealt with a wide array of matters coming through the GOP leader’s office including the federal judiciary, law enforcement and criminal justice matters, patent and trademark issues, and Kentucky telecommunications and broadband access initiatives.

In 2017, Cameron joined Frost Brown Todd, one of the most prominent law firms in the state, as a senior associate. There, his law practice focuses on government and public policy matters, according to the firm’s website.

Cameron would be the first African-American attorney general in the state’s history if he were to be elected. He would be only the second African-American elected to statewide office, following Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton’s historic win in 2015.

“I certainly am cognizant of the fact that this could be a significant milestone, and I don’t shrink from that fact,” Cameron said. “I fully appreciate what it could mean for Kentucky, what it could mean for the Republican Party. My identity is important to me.”

Cameron entering the 2019 attorney general’s race would also set up a Republican primary showdown with state Sen. Whitney Westerfield, a well-known Western Kentucky legislator who barely lost the attorney general’s race to Democrat Andy Beshear in 2015.

“Whitney’s a good man, and I recognize he has talents too, but I think in terms of bringing somebody new into the primary, I think I could present that,” Cameron said.

Whitney Westerfield
Whitney Westerfield (Photo: Provided)

Westerfield said in an interview Friday that primaries make candidates stronger in the general election. He said if Cameron gets into the race, it shows the GOP is healthy, but that he believes he would still prevail.

“I think I’m better qualified and more experienced, but if Daniel chooses to enter the race the voters get to make that decision,” Westerfield said.

Westerfield announced in August 2017 that he would again run for attorney general.

Cameron declined to comment when asked if he had spoken to McConnell about running for attorney general or received the GOP leader’s blessings. He does, however, have the public backing of key McConnell staffers and allies who were asked about his potential candidacy.

“Daniel is one of the best and brightest to ever serve on Senator McConnell’s staff,” said Terry Carmack, who is the senator’s state director. “He is exactly the kind of person we need in public service. He would represent a new generation of conservative leaders who can change our party and state for the better.”

CNN contributor Scott Jennings, a former McConnell campaign manager, described Cameron as a “true conservative” who Republican donors and grassroots activists would love.

“When young, diverse, energetic candidates like Daniel step forward it speaks volumes about which party represents Kentucky’s future,” Jennings said. “If Daniel gets in, the primary for this office will feature at least two smart young candidates while the Democrats pine for the House of Stumbo and Lundergan, which represents our state’s broken past.”

Westerfield’s campaign flexed its muscles minutes after news of Cameron’s potential candidacy was reported by touting the endorsement of several state lawmakers. He rebuffed a suggestion that this is a sign that the country’s most powerful Republican is taking sides in the primary for attorney general.

“I think Daniel is an attorney who sees an open seat and has aspirations for running,” Westerfield said. “I don’t think Sen. McConnell takes positions on races before there’s a nominee.”

Westerfield was outpaced 10-to-1 by Beshear in terms of fundraising, but lost the race three years ago by less than half of 1 percentage point.

No Democrats have voiced public interest in running for attorney general, which has been an important seat for the party’s diminished powers in state government.

Since 2015, Beshear has been a pebble in Gov. Matt Bevin and Republican state lawmaker’s shoes, successfully blocking a pension reform package and his cuts to higher education. Kentucky Republicans have also howled at Beshear, who is forgoing re-election next year to run for governor, for declining to properly defend an anti-abortion state law in federal court.

Cameron said Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer should be less politicized than its currents occupant.

“The office of attorney general doesn’t need to be politicized, which is why I want to put it back on its pedestal, if you will, and move beyond the political fights of the past (three years) and focus on the public safety of Kentucky.”

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or [email protected]. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.