Daniel Cameron (Kentucky politician)

Daniel Jay Cameron (born November 22, 1985) is an American politician, former football player, and lawyer who is the 51st Attorney General of Kentucky.[1] Cameron is the first Republican elected to the office since 1944 and is the first African-American Attorney General of Kentucky.

Daniel Cameron
51st Attorney General of Kentucky
Assumed office
December 17, 2019
Acting: December 17, 2019 – January 6, 2020
GovernorAndy Beshear
Preceded byAndy Beshear
Personal details
Born
Daniel Jay Cameron

(1985-11-22) November 22, 1985
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Cameron, 2016- div. 2017
EducationUniversity of Louisville (BS, JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Cameron grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.[2] His mother was a professor at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and his father owned a local coffee shop.[3] A history buff as a boy, Cameron attended John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown and won a prize scholarship named in honor of Senator Mitch McConnell to attend the University of Louisville.[4][2][5] At Louisville, Cameron played on the Louisville Cardinals football team in 2005 and 2006.[5] A defensive back, Cameron came off the bench for the first two games of the 2006 season, during which Louisville won the 2007 Orange Bowl.[5][6]

He graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science in 2008, and then from the university's Brandeis School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2011.[2]

Cameron clerked for Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove in the Eastern District of Kentucky for two years.[3] After the clerkship, Cameron served as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legal counsel.[3][7] In 2017, Cameron joined Frost Brown Todd as a senior associate.[3][8]

Kentucky Attorney General

Elections

2019 Kentucky Attorney General election
Main article: 2019 Kentucky Attorney General election

Cameron declared that he was running for Attorney General of Kentucky on January 21, 2019.[9] He defeated State Senator Wil Schroder in the Republican primary by a margin of 132,400 (55.3%) votes to 106,950 (44.7%) votes.[10][11] After the primary, Cameron was endorsed by President Donald Trump.[12][13]

Cameron defeated Democratic former Attorney General Greg Stumbo in the November 2019 general election.[14] He is the first Republican elected to be attorney general of Kentucky since Eldon S. Dummit was elected in 1944;[13] Dummit later left office in 1948.[15] He is also the state's first African-American attorney general in history.[12] Following Republican Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton, Cameron became Kentucky's second African-American statewide officer, and the first to be independently elected (given that Hampton had shared the 2015 gubernatorial ticket with Matt Bevin).

At the time of his election, Cameron was viewed by observers as a rising star in the Republican Party.[16]

Tenure

On December 17, 2019, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order appointing Cameron Attorney General of Kentucky.[17][18][15][15][19][20] Immediately after the order was signed, Cameron was officially sworn in as the Attorney General.[17][15][18] Cameron succeeded Beshear, who was sworn in as Governor on December 10, 2019,[21] as the state's Attorney General.[20][19][22] Under normal circumstances, Cameron would have taken office on January 6, 2020.[19]

On March 27, 2020, Cameron called for halting abortions in Kentucky during the coronavirus pandemic, arguing it was an elective medical procedure that should fall under the statewide ban for the duration of the pandemic.[23]

Breonna Taylor case
Breonna Taylor mural in Terra Linda, San Rafael, California (June 7, 2020)

Following the police killing of Breonna Taylor on March 13, 2020, the Louisville Police Department conducted an internal investigation on the case. As of July 15, 2020, Cameron has yet to decide if the officers involved, who had been placed on administrative leave, should be prosecuted.[24] Taylor's case has drawn national and global attention in protests and uprisings surrounding racial injustice in the United States, sparked by the killing of George Floyd and subsequent uprisings.

On July 14, 2020, over 100 protestors organized by the social justice organization Until Freedom marched to Cameron's house and occupied his lawn to demand charges be brought to the officers involved in the killing. Police officers arrested 87 protestors and charged them with several crimes including Intimidating a Participant in the Legal Process, a Class D felony. Cameron accused the protestors of trespassing on private property and claimed the protest's purpose was to "escalate" tension and division in the community[25][26][27].

gollark: You could use 5 bits to signal with only a 1/32 chance of a mistake, but then you just waste 1/20 of the round doing suboptimal things.
gollark: However, [REDACTED] apiomemetic protocols.
gollark: Rounds are 100 iterations and you get 1 bit an iteration, I don't think in-band signalling is very practical.
gollark: Dilemmous implementational time!
gollark: Okay, it "works", sending to repo...

References
  1. Cheves, John (November 5, 2019). "Daniel Cameron elected Kentucky attorney general, says he will support GOP leaders". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. Neuhauser, Ken (May 15, 2011). "U of L's graduates get chance to shine". Courier - Journal.
  3. Bailey, Phillip (December 21, 2018). "Mitch McConnell's former lawyer may run for Kentucky attorney general". Courier Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  4. "Political buff goes from the Hill to the 'Ville: Louisville". Chicago Sun Times. October 4, 2006.
  5. "Football UofLSports.com - University of Louisville Official Athletic Site". January 13, 2007. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007.
  6. "Football UofLSports.com - University of Louisville Official Athletic Site". April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008.
  7. "McConnell's legal counsel leaves Washington for CivicPoint in Louisville". Lane Report. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  8. "Huddle". Politico. June 5, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  9. "Daniel Cameron announces candidacy for Kentucky Attorney General". lanereport.com. January 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  10. Wartman, Scott (May 14, 2019). "Kentucky AG candidate Wil Schroder shoots a TV, denounces 'illegals,' praises Trump, all in one ad". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  11. "Kentucky Primary Election Results". New York Times. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  12. Crain, Brennan (July 31, 2019). "Trump endorses Cameron for attorney general". WCLU. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  13. "President Trump endorses Daniel Cameron in Kentucky attorney general race". WKYT-TV. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  14. Wiegel, David (May 23, 2019). "Democrats look past 2020". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  15. "Daniel Cameron becomes Kentucky's first African American attorney general". wkyt.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  16. Wilson, Reid (November 13, 2019). "McConnell protege emerges as Kentucky's next rising star". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  17. "Daniel Cameron Officially Sworn in As Attorney General". spectrumnews1.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  18. Baute, Sean. "Daniel Cameron sworn in as Kentucky attorney general". wave3.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  19. Cooney, Lynnette. "Andy Beshear appoints Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron to fill remainder of his term". wymt.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  20. Staff, News. "Cameron to be sworn in as Ky. AG on Dec. 17".
  21. Easley, Timothy D.; Easley, Timothy D.; Desrochers, Daniel (December 10, 2019). "It's official: Andy Beshear sworn in as 63rd governor of Kentucky at midnight". kentucky. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  22. "Beshear to appoint AG-elect Cameron to complete rest of term". WHAS11. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  23. Olson, Tyler (March 28, 2020). "Kentucky AG calls for halt on abortions during coronavirus crisis". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  24. Duvall, Darcy Costello and Tessa. "Who are the 3 Louisville officers involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting? What we know". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  25. Tobin, Bailey Loosemore, Hayes Gardner and Ben. "Protesters converge on Daniel Cameron's Louisville home to demand justice for Breonna Taylor". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  26. "Kentucky AG Says Protesters Demanding Charges in Breonna Taylor Case Were 'Trespassing' in Front of His Home". Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  27. "87 people charged with felonies after Breonna Taylor protest at attorney general's house". cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Andy Beshear		 Attorney General of Kentucky
2019–present		 Incumbent
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