Cameron makes EKY campaign stops, supporters hopeful
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Oct. 14—GREENUP — Gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron made campaign stops in the region over the weekend, leaving his supporters hopeful his presence will appeal to middle-of-the-road voters and disappointed Democrats as next month's election draws near.
On Friday and Saturday, the current Attorney General made stops in Louisa, Mount Sterling, and made an appearance for a GOP picnic consisting of supporters from Boyd, Greenup and Lewis counties.
On Saturday, Greenup County fairgrounds transformed into a campaign stop with a decent-sized crowd from the partnered event.
Those in attendance included multiple local-level elected officials from the county trio, including judge-executives, commissioners, clerks and an appearance by Jon Park, who represented the state's Republican Party as the chairman for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District.
Greenup County Property Value Administrator Tony Quillen said he had a personal head-count of nearly 150 citizens at Saturday's picnic, adding he was overall pleased with the turnout and the organizational work by the counties' Republican party chairmen.
Chairman of Greenup County's Republican Party Aaron Thompson said he, too, was pleased of the turnout, and he thinks momentum of Cameron's campaign appears to be gaining in this corner of the Commonwealth.
Of Cameron's talking points, Thompson said his representation of conservative family values is a large selling point for the area, adding he believed Cameron could represent those well in Frankfort as Governor.
Thompson said these traditional values are an area of appeal for local voters.
According to Thompson, as the Democratic Party leans further to the "left," Democrats with more traditional beliefs could sway their votes toward Cameron as opposed to incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear.
Historically, Greenup County voters have been Democrat, but Thompson said he's seen a transition in the last few years.
According to Thompson, last year's election cycle resulted in only one of 29 precincts returning a blue hue. Thompson added he anticipates the same outcome in the governor's battleground race.
In comparison to Greenup and Lewis County who have a larger gap of Republican to Democratic voters, Hunter Boyd — Boyd County's Republican Party chairman — said the number of registered Democratic voters surpass Republican, but, as of this year, the margin is small.
According to registration numbers, of Boyd County's nearly 40,000 registered voters, registered Republicans trail Democratic voters by only 164.
With 4,058 in Boyd County registered as Independent or with other party affiliations, the outcome is dependent on voter turnout and Thompson's prediction of Independent voters identifying with Cameron's "family values."
Thompson also anticipates a turnout from Democratic voters in favor of Cameron in light of the current atmosphere on the federal realm.
"Democrats are leaving the party because the Democratic Party left them," Thompson said.
Political correspondents have predicted Kentucky's gubernatorial race could foreshadow the outcome of 2024's presidential race, as the state's focus on the national political climate is drawing voters to a deeper divide on social and ethical beliefs.
While Beshear has focused his campaign on highlighting lessened crime rates, job growth and economic investment, Cameron has focused on hot-button topics, including Beshear's response to COVID-19 lockdowns, abortion access and educator curriculum — similar to the topics voters will base their decisions on in the 2024 presidential race.
Voting Kentuckians also hold a keen eye on President Joe Biden's response to the economic spiral following the pandemic and future responses regarding foreign conflict in Ukraine and Israel.
Thompson believes the state's Democrats who are unhappy with the national government — President Biden, specifically — could be key in Cameron defeating Beshear.
Beshear defeated incumbent Republican Matt Bevin in 2019 by a slight margin of a little more than 5,000 votes while Cameron defeated incumbent Democrat Gregory Stumbo 58% to 42%, making him the first Black Attorney General and Republican Attorney General in nearly 80 years.
As of last week, new polls, according to multiple news outlets from throughout the state, show Beshear leading Cameron by eight points.
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