Learning firsthand what it’s like to be a Republican running against a Trump-backed primary opponent was the last thing Daniel Cameron wanted.
Nonetheless, the Kentucky GOP Senate candidate and former state attorney general is being forced to quickly alter his strategy just days away from the primary after President Donald Trump gave his seal of approval to Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) in the bitter contest to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Cameron is walking a political tightrope to stay aligned with Trump, while also criticizing recent events as the epitome of “the swamp being the swamp” and “people that don’t live here” trying to sway an election from Washington.
There’s only one area where Cameron says he strays from Trump: “I disagree with this decision on Andy Barr,” he said Tuesday during a wide-ranging press conference.
At the same time, Cameron described the outcome of Trump-orchestrated events that could cost him the primary on May 19 as “politics at its worst.”
Cameron joined a small but prominent group of Republicans who are heading into their primaries facing Trump-supported candidates after the president gave a coveted endorsement on Friday to Barr. The other Republican in the race, entrepreneur Nate Morris, dropped out at the urging of Trump to accept an unspecified ambassadorship and then also endorsed Barr. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and the party’s Senate campaign arm followed suit with Barr endorsements.
“I think most Kentuckians are sort of confused by having made comments in opposition to one another, and then all of a sudden they’re playing nice,” Cameron said of Morris backing Barr. “It’s politics at its worst. It’s, you know, the swamp being the swamp.”
Those in a similar predicament who will put Trump’s sway to the test among primary voters this midterm cycle include fellow Kentuckian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Trump is urging Republicans to vote for former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein over Massie and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) over Cassidy.
If he prevails, Cameron said triumphing without a Trump endorsement would mean “that Kentuckians get to make their decision about who they vote for.”
“They’re not going to be swayed or deterred or have a decision made by them or for them by people that don’t live here,” he added.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has consistently stumped for Massie on the trail, but he’s largely stayed out of the Senate battle. Cameron made an appeal to those who are fond of the libertarian duo but dodged on whether he’s seeking their endorsements. He also pitched Morris supporters to come to his aid, some of whom Cameron described as irritated for having already cast absentee ballots for a candidate no longer in the race.
“What my theory of the case has always been is that I’m the candidate that has built a wide coalition that we’re going to need to win, not only in May, but also in November,” Cameron said. “Whether you are constitutionally-minded, whether you’re liberty-minded, whether you’re a center-right conservative or a traditional Republican, there is a home for you on Team Cameron.”
TRUMP CLEARS THE FIELD FOR ANDY BARR IN KENTUCKY SENATE RACE
Cameron signaled he did not speak with Trump directly before the Barr endorsement, but said if elected, he would “work with the administration to ensure that the issues and the things that are important to Kentuckians” are known by administration officials.
The eventual Republican nominee is expected to cruise to victory in the November general election for what is a solidly red seat.