One GOP senator quits his campaign for attorney general and another enters the race

Three days after a former aide to U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined the GOP race for Kentucky attorney general, state Sen. Whitney Westerfield announced Friday he was dropping out.

A few hours after Westerfield’s announcement, Republican Sen. Wil Schroder of Wilder in Northern Kentucky filed to run for the office, as did former Attorney General and Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who is a Democrat.

Schroder, who has been in the Senate since 2015 and is the son of the late Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Wil Schroder, said Westerfield’s decision to exit the race was a factor in his decision.

“We are good friends, and I heard in the last few days ... that he would be withdrawing,” Schroder said.

Schroder said he is the only Republican candidate in the race to become Kentucky’s chief law enforcement officer with prosecutorial experience and a conservative record. “This job is way too important for on-the-job training,” he said.

Westerfield, a Republican from Hopkinsville, is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He announced his interest in running for attorney general 18 months ago. In 2015, he was the GOP nominee for the post, narrowly losing to Democrat Andy Beshear.

On Friday, Westerfield posted a statement on Twitter announcing his withdrawal from the race. He cited the “time constraints” of his work as a legislator and the demands of running a statewide political campaign.

“I have been overwhelmed by the support I received during this campaign, but this decision hopefully will give another qualified candidate the opportunity to run their campaign as it should be run,” Westerfield wrote in his statement. “Kentucky desperately needs an attorney general that has the necessary experience to carry out the duties of the office, and the integrity to do so without a political agenda.”

Westerfield did not immediately return a call Friday seeking further comment.

On Tuesday, Louisville attorney Daniel Cameron filed to run as a Republican for attorney general. Cameron, who previously worked as legal counsel for McConnell and the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, is currently a senior associate for Frost Brown Todd.

In an interview this week, Cameron told the Associated Press that Westerfield already had his chance to be attorney general in 2015.

“I’m obviously a new voice, a new face for the Republican Party in this primary,” Cameron said. “I think Whitney had an opportunity four years ago ... and we’ve seen what’s happened when a Republican does not win in the general election and how difficult that has been for the governor.”

On the Democratic side, Stumbo was the first to file for attorney general.

Stumbo, who was attorney general from 2004 to 2008, said he wanted the job again to concentrate on fighting Kentucky’s opioid crisis.

“I am convinced that we can bring justice to those distributors and manufacturers that caused all this death and destruction. I want to be part of that,” said Stumbo, noting that he was the first attorney general in the country to sue a drug manufacturer.

Meanwhile, former Miss America Heather French Henry filed Friday morning to run for secretary of state in the Democratic primary election.

She said Friday would be her last day as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs. She has held the position since July 1, 2014.

Henry said she would continue her work for veterans, such as in voter registration, as secretary of state.

With her were her husband, former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, their two daughters, Harper Renee and Taylor Augusta, and her parents, Ron and Diana French of Maysville. Harper also used the occasion to register to vote.

This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 9:19 AM.