Ted Cruz endorses Kelly Craft in tight Kentucky GOP primary against Daniel Cameron
Emily Jacobs
Video Embed
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is weighing into the increasingly competitive Kentucky GOP gubernatorial primary between state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft.
Cruz announced Thursday he was endorsing Craft, whose billionaire coal magnate husband is part of one of the nation’s most prolific families in terms of Republican donors. Craft is locked in a tough primary fight against Cameron, a protege of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), that will come to a head later this month. Both are hoping to challenge incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), whose popularity has made him a serious competitor for a Democrat in a ruby-red state.
TRUMP-ENDORSED CANDIDATE WORKED FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE GROUP PUSHING LEFT-WING BAIL REFORM
“Kelly Craft is the candidate that Kentuckians need as their governor to usher in a new generation of leadership,” Cruz said in a statement. “I’ve seen firsthand how hard Kelly has worked to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party and negotiate the largest trade deal in American history.”
“I’m looking forward to having my friend, Sen. Cruz, with me on the campaign trail as we enter the final days of the primary,” Craft said of the endorsement. “Over the past 10 months, I’ve been inspired by the thousands of Kentuckians I have met who all want the same thing: a better future for our children and grandchildren. Sen. Cruz has the same vision for Texas and I’m grateful to have his support.”
Cameron has maintained a steady lead over Craft thus far in primary polls, though the distance between them is shrinking. Craft said that Cruz would join her for two campaign events next Saturday in the cities of Louisville and Richmond. While she can rely on Cruz’s support, she won’t be able to count on her ex-boss, former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Cameron last year.
Ryan Quarles, the state’s agricultural commissioner, has been running at a steady third place in the polls, and is arguably Craft’s and Cameron’s only other serious competitor in a crowded field of 12 primary candidates. He has racked up an impressive 235 endorsements thus far from state and local officials.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Not wanting to anger Cameron, a rising political star in the state, or Craft’s family, a number of leading Republicans have declined to weigh in on the primary. This includes McConnell, who aides have said will not endorse before the general election. The situation is a delicate one for McConnell, who Cameron has worked under for nearly half his life and who the Craft family has bankrolled for years.
McConnell’s vast network of state and local operatives is also withholding endorsements in the primary, as is Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). The only member of the state’s Republican congressional delegation to weigh in was House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who endorsed Craft.