GOP nominee stresses values in campaign pitch in Kentucky gubernatorial campaign

RICHMOND, Ky. — Kentucky’s campaign showdown for governor boils down to stark differences in vision and values, Republican nominee Daniel Cameron declared Friday as he urged conservatives to “make a stand” by ousting the Democratic incumbent in the November election. “You’ve got a governor right now whose vision for Kentucky and whose values are not aligned with the folks here in Madison County and does not reflect the values of the men, women and children of all 120 counties.” Cameron didn’t offer many specifics about those differences, though he did draw on a national Republican campaign theme for this year when he tried to connect Beshear to a “gender ideology curriculum” that the Republican challenger said is “making its way” into classrooms. Beshear also has worked to pre-empt the prospect of a vitriolic campaign, predicting in a post-primary interview that his GOP opponents would resort to “name-calling, stoking division, trying to incite fear or anger or maybe even hatred.” Responding to Cameron’s speech Friday, Beshear campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd said the governor has “consistently led with the Kentucky values of compassion and integrity.” Looking to nationalize the Kentucky contest, Cameron said a second Beshear term would result in “doubling down” on policies promoted by Biden. Cameron on Friday blamed the governor directly for a crime rate that he said has “increased exponentially” in Kentucky’s largest cities during Beshear’s tenure.