Craft ad hits Cameron on McConnell ties. She’s also closely connected to him.
Kelly Craft’s latest ads in her pursuit of the GOP nomination for governor focus on her status as an “outsider” and criticize frontrunner Attorney General Daniel Cameron by tying him to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.
In one ad, Craft says her opponents are all “career politicians who’d rather follow than lead” while the camera pans a set of bobbleheads featuring Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and the Republicans running against Craft. It then shows Cameron and McConnell next to the words “insiders” and “rather follow” under Cameron’s visage, with “than lead” appearing under McConnell’s face.
The campaign has yet to respond to a request for comment on the intent of the frame placing Cameron and McConnell together. There’s reason to believe that politicians in Kentucky, even Republicans, may want to distance themselves from McConnell given that a recent poll showed that he’s the least liked Senator in the U.S.
Though McConnell has officially stayed out of the race, Cameron’s ties to him are strong and have lasted nearly half of Cameron’s life. The 37-year-old dreamed of holding elected office as early as when he interned for the Kentucky senator after his freshman year at the University of Louisville, where he was a McConnell Scholar, according to the Associated Press. He later worked full-time on McConnell’s staff. In 2019, McConnell backed Cameron’s run for attorney general, and a heap of ‘dark money’ from a group linked to McConnell followed. That same group, under a new name, is the primary funder of a PAC supporting Cameron.
Like Cameron, Craft has been closely connected to McConnell. Her family has helped to bankroll some of his political endeavors and she herself once referring to him as “a dear friend to our family for decades.”
Craft and her husband also have strong ties to McConnell – one of the most powerful Senators in U.S. history and often recognized as the most consequential figure in Kentucky Republican politics.
Craft’s husband Joe, a wealthy donor and philanthropist who made his fortune in the coal industry, has given groups tied to McConnell more than $2.5 million. He’s given the Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-aligned PAC run by a former McConnell chief of staff, $2.25 million. He also has given $300,000 to Kentuckians For Strong Leadership, a PAC formed to support McConnell that later broadened its focus to elect Republicans in the state, according to campaign finance tracking website OpenSecrets.
When asked about the donations her family has made to groups linked to McConnell, Craft said that nobody in the “Washington establishment” owns her and signaled that the donations were meant to boost Republicans in general. She wouldn’t say whether she thought McConnell was doing a good job as Senate GOP leader.
“You know, it’s not for me to judge Mitch McConnell, but I can just tell you that Kentucky needs to have representation that’s going to represent our state,” Craft said.
McConnell has also personally supported Craft in her pursuit of ambassador positions under the administration of former president Donald Trump, and the Crafts likewise had McConnell’s back as Trump feuded with Kentucky’s senior senator.
In 2016, Bloomberg News reported that Trump’s commitment to not oust McConnell or then-House Speaker Paul Ryan from their Republican leadership posts was “a key factor” in the Crafts’ decision to raise money for Trump.
“That is a big priority for Joe and I, and from talking directly to Donald Trump I know for a fact it is a big deal to him,” Craft told the outlet.
In a much earlier re-election bid for McConnell, Craft – a notable fundraiser in Kentucky GOP circles for years – was a co-chair for an event featuring then-president George W. Bush that yielded $2 million to advance McConnell’s effort.
In another ad airing this week, Craft calls herself an “outsider” and compares her background to Trump’s.
Cameron has touted the fact that he got the endorsement of Trump throughout his campaign, even bringing it up to needle Craft at a recent debate.
When asked at a recent event in Northern Kentucky about his ties to McConnell, whom Trump has expressed disdain for in recent statements, Cameron said that his only allegiance was to the constitution, according to Link NKY.
“I make decisions based on the law and based on our constitutional rights,” Cameron said.
A spokesperson for McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 10:18 AM.
