Mitch McConnell is one of the most unpopular Republicans on the national stage. The Kentucky Republican has done many good things for the party, passing the Trump tax cuts, altering the judiciary, especially confirming all three of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees. No doubt he was one of the party’s best strategists, but, like Biden, he’s lost a step. It happens, the only difference is that McConnell knows when to bow out, unlike former President Drool-in-Soup. Now, Daniel Cameron’s history as Mitch McConnell’s handpicked protégé is turning into quite a liability for him in the Kentucky Senate Race.
It's time for a change—McConnell has represented the Bluegrass State since 1985. Why would we want to send his protégé, former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, to replace him? At the Fancy Farm Picnic event, tensions flared between MAGA insurgent Nate Morris, Rep. Andy Barr, and Cameron.
Morris is the candidate gaining the momentum, not least because he’s carpet-bombed the state with ads. He’s an unapologetic MAGA Republican who's also clinched the endorsements of Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH). And while Morris is likely going to touch on the hot items of Trump’s agenda, which he’s already done with immigration, painting Cameron as McConnell lite will be easy; the former AG has done the heavy lifting.
Regarding the ‘I’m big Mitch’s protégé,’ Cameron has proudly said that for years. It also doesn’t help that in 2019, Cameron couldn’t think of a single time he disagreed with McConnell (via Courier Journal) [emphasis mine]:
Kentucky attorney general candidate Daniel Cameron couldn't think of one time he disagreed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in private or in public.
"Oh, I don't know, we're pretty aligned on most things in terms of our conservative views. I don't have anything I've probably disagreed with him on," Cameron told me after speaking to the Louisville Forum last week [in 2019].
Much of Cameron's professional and political career is connected to Kentucky's senior senator. Out of law school, he got a job as a clerk for a federal judge who once worked for McConnell, then served as the senator's general counsel.
Yeah, that’s a problem, and Morris, who has been hardcore about immigration, has another avenue of attack: If Cameron feels that way, then it shows he has no qualms about backing amnesty on future immigration deals. The man has interned for McConnell since he was in college. He worked on legislation during that period, including the failed 2006 immigration deal, which included a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
At the same time, I get it—Cameron cannot forsake his boss, whose fundraising network has given the man beaucoup dollars for his campaigns. Last, given this record of attachment to the outgoing Bluegrass Republican, Trump doesn’t want to back Cameron, whose previous campaign showed he “isn’t the guy” (via Time):
Trump has told his inner circle that he doesn’t want to support former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who has already entered the race. Trump endorsed Cameron for governor in 2024, but Gov. Andy Beshear defeated him handily. “He lost by five points in a state Trump carried by 30,” one of the President’s aides tells TIME. “He knows he’s not the guy.”
Are we shocked? After Cameron's failed 2023 gubernatorial run, Trump blamed McConnell directly, saying his stench was too much to stomach for voters (via Newsweek) [emphasis mine]:
Former President Donald Trump is blaming the election failure of Republican Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Cameron, Kentucky's outgoing attorney general, lost to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear by a five-point margin in the red state on Tuesday. Trump had given an enthusiastic endorsement of Cameron's gubernatorial ambitions, calling him "absolutely outstanding in every way" in 2022.
The former president argued in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that his endorsement of Cameron had boosted the Republican hopeful's chances by "25 points." Beshear had a significant lead over Cameron in early polling before recent numbers showed the race tightening, although the governor never had a 25-point lead.
[…]
"Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn't alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell," Trump wrote. "I told him early that's a big burden to overcome. McConnell and [Utah Senator Mitch] Romney are Kryptonite for Republican Candidates.
"I moved him up 25 Points, but the McConnell relationship was 'too much to bear.'"
Morris’ camp does smell blood in the water when things get a bit more animated for the 2026 midterms.
“Daniel Cameron’s attempts to rebrand himself as anything other than a McConnell lackey are downright embarrassing. Every job Daniel has ever had has been handed to him by Mitch McConnell. Kentuckians don’t want Mitch McConnell 2.0 in the Senate,” said Nate Morris spokesman Conor McGuinness.
This is going to be a fun primary.
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