Guess who’s back? Daniel Cameron to speak as Trump surrogate at Fancy Farm this weekend

Donald Trump won’t be speaking at the St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic this weekend, but a familiar face in Kentucky Republican politics will be there as a campaign surrogate for the former GOP president.

Former attorney general Daniel Cameron is to represent the Trump-Vance campaign Saturday at the historic political-speaking event, known commonly as “Fancy Farm.”

Cameron was the state’s top prosecutor for four years before he ran and lost to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is being vetted along with several other Democrats to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in her campaign for president against Trump.

Trump, who endorsed Cameron early in 2022, played a key role in assisting Cameron’s dominant GOP gubernatorial primary win over well-funded and well-known competition last year. He couldn’t get Cameron across the finish line in the general election, though.

Beshear beat Cameron by five percentage points, launching the governor into further popularity in the national Democratic ranks.

Fancy Farm, a charity picnic in far West Kentucky, is one of the oldest political-speaking events in America. This year will be the picnic’s 144th year in existence. Part of the event became explicitly political and gained statewide prominence in 1931, when A.B. “Happy” Chandler ran for lieutenant governor and spoke there.

In the 1980s, Fancy Farm set a record for being “the world’s largest picnic” and has become known for its signature barbecue offerings including mutton.

Candidates for office often treat their speaking slots as “roasts” of their political enemies, and they face loud opposition from members of the crowd who try to drown them out.

Last August’s gathering was a memorable one. It featured Cameron as the GOP contender in the state’s most expensive governor’s race yet and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s return to form amid concerns over his health.

Cameron is no stranger to stage. As candidate for attorney general, as sitting attorney general and later as governor, Cameron has delivered multiple speeches to the event’s raucous crowd.

Beshear, who has been appearing across the country extolling Harris and bashing Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance, will not be attending, a spokesperson for his political team told the Herald-Leader Monday.

Steven Elder, Fancy Farm Political Chair, said that the group would love to have Beshear appear either in his gubernatorial capacity or as a surrogate for Harris.

“We have sent things to them, but we haven’t received a whole lot of response. I’ve reached out to several top Democrats in the state,” Elder said. “Obviously, I think the governor would be an excellent speaker as a surrogate for the Harris campaign as he’s been traveling through other states doing so.”

Elder told the Herald-Leader his team would work hard to get a Harris surrogate by Saturday.