Candidates in KY’s attorney general election speak on scams, partisanship, opioid crisis

The governor’s race has captured lots of attention in this year’s general election cycle, but key races for state offices are further down the ballot this year, including the attorney general’s office.

Kentucky’s attorney general is the state’s chief law officer — its top prosecutor on criminal matters, working with locally elected county attorneys and commonwealth’s attorneys, and its primary lawyer, advising state agencies and the legislature on the law.

The attorney general also investigates consumer-protection complaints and represents the interests of utility ratepayers before the state’s Public Service Commission.

The salary is just under $150,000.

The Republican nominee this year is Russell Coleman, a former FBI agent and counsel to U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Coleman served as the U.S. attorney — the federal government’s chief lawyer — in the Western District of Kentucky from 2017 to 2021, appointed by President Donald Trump.

The Democratic nominee is state Rep. Pam Stevenson of Louisville. Stevenson is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who runs a law practice in southern Indiana.

Coleman and Stevenson agreed to answer some questions from the Herald-Leader about the office and issues involving the position in 2023.

Most people who run for attorney general say they have a plan to deal with Kentucky’s drug addiction problem. But the overdoses and drug-related crimes have continued through the years. What will you do differently from those who came before you?

Coleman: I have the experience and longstanding law enforcement relationships to mobilize and more efficiently coordinate local, state and federal resources to make Kentucky the safest place to live. I’ll be ready on Day One to bring relentless collaboration with law enforcement professionals to catch drug pushers, put them behind bars and keep them there. I’ve attacked violent crime and deadly drugs like fentanyl that are flowing freely across the Biden administration’s open border throughout my career, and as attorney general, I’ll do it again. My opponent has no meaningful relationships with law enforcement, and Kentucky families would suffer the consequences.

I’m honored to have the endorsement of the Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), three conservative heads of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and a former Drug Czar. They know I will bring urgency as we protect Kentucky families from deadly drugs and violent criminals.

Stevenson: The past four years, the attorney general has been playing politics with his office. It is time that we return this office back to the people of Kentucky. One of the first priorities of my office will be to attack the opioid crisis, and to do this, I will have a multi-prong approach.

I plan to work through the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, which is overseeing the commonwealth’s distribution of nearly $900 million in settlements from companies that have fueled this crisis. It’s vital we hold town halls and on-the-ground outreach with the organizations receiving this funding so that we can get word into Kentucky’s communities that have been hard hit by this crisis. I am personally committing to holding in-person events with every organization who receives grants and funding from this settlement, because Kentucky needs an attorney general who shows up.

The attorney general is Kentucky’s top consumer protection advocate. What is your past experience with protecting people from predatory business practices, either as a lawyer or in any other capacity?

Coleman: In my role as United States attorney, I prioritized the aggressive identification and prosecution of scammers and other thieves who sought to exploit Kentuckians. There are thieves out there who are constantly trying to take advantage of everyday folks, and I won’t stand for it.

During the early days of the pandemic, I worked closely with Attorney General Daniel Cameron and his office on this front. I’ve spent my entire career collaborating across all levels of government to protect Kentucky families. As the next attorney general, I will continue this partnership to make Kentucky safe again. My opponent has never been in a Kentucky courtroom. To expect her to do anything with this office other than use it as a platform to push a radical liberal agenda is laughable.

Stevenson: Hundreds of military families move every year. We outsource their move to civilian companies. When their property is lost, stolen or damaged, we engage with the moving companies on their behalf. When the companies try to take advantage of our military families or engage in illegal activities, we make sure they are barred from serving our families. Also, we make sure that military families were not taken advantage of by payday loan companies, lemon car dealers, high interest rate credit or landlords who refuse, without cause, to return deposits. Finally, I started a client service department to make sure that families had direct access to lawyers, solutions and legal documents needed to live and provide for their families.

It is our duty as leaders to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, such as children and the elderly. Senior scams are a multi-million dollar business, and I have personally experienced my own parents — who are in their 80s — being vulnerable to these scams.

One criticism of recent attorneys general has been that they allow their partisan and ideological views to dominate their legal duties. Rather than serve as the state of Kentucky’s lawyer, they are politicians who spend much of their time fighting the opposing political party. Which role describes how you plan to operate?

Coleman: I plan to aggressively prosecute violent criminals, protect consumers, effectively collect on child support cases and fight against harmful federal overreach when warranted. I’ve spent my career in law enforcement and public service, including as the chief federal prosecutor for Western Kentucky. I’m running for attorney general to get back into the fight and to continue my life’s works of keeping people safe. I will bring urgency to stopping violent criminals, getting deadly drugs off our streets and protecting Kentucky from Washington’s overreach.

As attorney general, I will work with anyone — no matter their politics — to support our brave men and women of law enforcement and to take violent criminals and drug traffickers off Kentucky’s streets. My opponent has never appeared in a Kentucky courtroom. She lacks legal experience to hold this office, so I expect her to use it purely as an ideological and political platform.

Stevenson: It is my intention to return this office to the people of Kentucky. The attorney general is the people’s lawyer, and far too many of our citizens don’t know this or feel this. I will make my office more transparent and accessible to the people.

As I’m traveling around Kentucky talking to voters, I am listening to their concerns. I will continue to travel the commonwealth as attorney general, listening to all our citizens and working to address their concerns. A vote for my opponent is a vote for more of the same. He will continue to play politics with this office and do the bidding of his party at the expense of Kentuckians. Under my leadership, the Office of the Attorney General will be a unifying force across the commonwealth.

Would you defend a law or state policy in court if you personally disagreed with it but your office determined it was legally valid?

Coleman: Kentucky’s Constitution makes clear that the General Assembly is our lawmaking body. As attorney general, I will uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and I will faithfully execute the laws passed by the people’s representatives within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution.

Stevenson: As attorney general, I will uphold the laws and constitution of the commonwealth of Kentucky. I will also use a prosecutor’s discretion to ensure that I am bringing forth cases that keep Kentucky moving forward and do not simply fulfill a political agenda.

Kentucky, with about 20,000 state inmates housed in state prisons and local jails, long has had one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States. Does Kentucky lock up too many people, or do we have an unusually dangerous population in Kentucky that requires harsh measures?

Coleman: I generally believe that violent criminals belong in jail, and I’ve spent much of my career putting them there. As Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer, I will attack the surge of violent crime with a sense of urgency and protect families in our largest cities and our most rural areas.

When I served as U.S. attorney for the Western District, I brought every local, state and federal law enforcement agency together around a single mission: taking criminals off the streets and putting them behind bars where they belong. That’s exactly what I’ll do again as attorney general.

My opponent, as a state legislator, tried to change state law to leave our law enforcement officers vulnerable to violent protesters. I strongly disagree with that point of view.

Stevenson: As attorney general, it will be my responsibility to ensure our justice system is fair. I don’t believe that Kentucky has an unusually dangerous population. We just need to leverage the tools and offices we currently have to evaluate our incarceration rate and determine if our justice system is acting the way it should.

This is not about releasing dangerous or violent criminals back into our society but rather ensuring that the justice system is treating people fairly. For example, with our opioid crisis, addiction treatment might be a better place for offenders than our state prisons and local jails. As the next attorney general, I will work to ensure a more fair and just system.

Is there any legislation related to the attorney general’s office that you would propose to the General Assembly this winter?

Coleman: I look forward to working with the General Assembly to support their ongoing efforts to make Kentucky the safest place to live, work and raise a family.

Stevenson: Kentucky families need the government to work for them. We need a juvenile justice system that is more preventive and allows for children to correct their mistakes and become productive citizens. We need to prevent the dramatic increase in utility rates, as it is taking a larger part of our families’ incomes to keep the lights on. We need to make sure that victims of crimes are informed and restored. When it comes to the elderly, we need to put in place an easier method for our leaders to report harm and then a process for follow-up and completion. Families with disabled children need our support. We need to make sure we are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and that families are getting support.

Safe communities start with a partnership with law enforcement and a fair system. Law enforcement professionals need more funding for training, building community trust and salaries. We need to partner with them to make sure all of our communities are safe.