Another Kentucky Republican picks up a Twitter endorsement from Donald Trump

The already heated race for attorney general in Kentucky continued on Twitter Monday, as a former Republican staffer set off Democratic outrage and Republican candidate Daniel Cameron picked up a presidential endorsement.

President Donald Trump used Twitter Monday afternoon to endorse Cameron, a former staff lawyer for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, calling him a rising “STAR” in the Republican Party.

“The Republican Party has a new STAR, his name is Daniel Cameron (@djaycameron), and he is running for Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky....” Trump tweeted. “....He is tough on Crime, Strong on Borders, and will fight for our Second Amendment. Daniel will never let you down. He has my Full and Complete Endorsement!”

The Trump tweet comes as Kentucky politicos are packing their bags to head west to the annual St. Jerome’s Parish Picnic in Fancy Farm on Saturday. The politically-charged event is the traditional kick off to the fall campaign season, but the race for attorney general has already gotten nasty.

Earlier Monday, the Kentucky Democratic Party called on Cameron to condemn tweets from a former Republican Party of Kentucky spokesman, Tres Watson, in which Watson chided the 19-year-old daughter of Democratic nominee Greg Stumbo for calling Cameron a liar.

“If your father hasn’t sat you down and told you about the entirety of his past, I’m sorry, but it’s only gonna get worse,” Watson tweeted at Stumbo’s daughter, Kassidy, who is 19. “I know this sucks to hear, but, if that’s the case, your father isn’t who he’s told you he is. #sad #HesABadDude”

Stumbo’s campaign called the tweets “lewd” and “out-of-line.”

“My kids and family should be off limits. Attacking a teenager on Twitter is pretty low, even for the Republican Party,” Stumbo said in a news release.

The two candidates have launched attacks back and forth throughout the month, with Cameron calling Stumbo a “deadbeat dad” because Stumbo entered a settlement agreement over missed child support payments in 2003 and Stumbo, in turn, calling Cameron a “liar.”

Cameron thanked Trump for the endorsement, saying he would help the president address the drug crisis and “combat illegal immigration.” The campaign released photos of Cameron meeting with Trump in the White House.

“It’s truly an honor to be endorsed by the president. And it’s humbling to be recognized as a future leader of our party,” Cameron said. “To the people of Kentucky, I pledge to you this: as the chief law enforcement officer of our commonwealth, I will fight for you every day and work with every fiber of my being to restore honor and integrity to the role of attorney general.”

If elected, Cameron would be the first black attorney general in Kentucky. Trump’s endorsement comes after Democrats have criticized the president in recent days for sending racist tweets.

Trump has also endorsed Gov. Matt Bevin in his reelection bid against Attorney General Andy Beshear.

This story was originally published July 29, 2019 at 5:18 PM.