The Lexington Herald-Leader endorses Greg Stumbo for Kentucky Attorney General
The race for Attorney General has been one of the nastiest ones on record, filled with innuendo, lawsuits and cease and desist orders, reflecting two candidates at either end of the spectrum of politics, age and experience. It’s not an easy choice.
On the one hand, we have Daniel Cameron, former general counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who barely qualified to run for AG because he’s only had a law license for eight years. He has little to no actual courtroom experience but has clerked for a federal judge and spent the past several years at the Frost Brown Todd law firm. On the other, we have old-school Eastern Kentucky politico Greg Stumbo, whose personal peccadilloes and backroom maneuvers are well known to voters, thanks to his stints as a legislator, House Speaker and Attorney General.
As Daniel Cameron said in his endorsement interview: “This election is about the future versus the past.”
He’s right. Unfortunately, that future appears to be a political landscape dominated by Cameron’s former boss, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who in addition to controlling the U.S. Senate, the federal judiciary and a vast political machine in Kentucky, wants to get his mitts on the state Attorney General’s office.
The office of Attorney General is too important to be in McConnell’s proxy hands, or in the hands of someone like Cameron who seems more interested in proving his anti-abortion credentials on the campaign trail than engaging in a serious discussion of criminal justice reform.
As the numerous legal fights between current Attorney General Andy Beshear and Gov. Matt Bevin have illustrated, the office provides crucial checks and balances to both the governor and the General Assembly. Beshear did the right thing when he challenged the General Assembly on its “sewer” bill, in which legislators tried to sneak in massive changes to the state pension program in last-minute legislation. We need a candidate who will do the least amount of harm to the office and the state — especially if Gov. Matt Bevin is re-elected. That person is Greg Stumbo.
Stumbo says he wants to return to the Attorney General’s office to finish his work in pursuing pharmaceutical companies that unleashed Kentucky’s greatest health crisis on its people. We will take him at his word, although he’s not the first politician unable to function outside of the political limelight. Stumbo is smart and tough; he knows more about Kentucky than most people and he understands the role of Attorney General. Indeed, he was Attorney General when his office got a tip about patronage hiring, a tip that led to multiple indictments and a single term for Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
Stumbo understands the need for meaningful criminal justice reform to solve a crisis in crowded prisons, not just changes in bail but statutory redesign of punishment levels that both Republicans and Democrats understand is desperately needed. He supports medical marijuana as another piece in solving the state’s opioid crisis, which would include continuing nine cases against drug companies started by current AG Andy Beshear. Stumbo has seen first-hand the devastation of drugs on his community and has good ideas about turning pharmaceutical company settlements into more treatment for those who suffer.
Cameron has a bright political future in a state that’s nearly already crimson. It would be an important step forward for Kentucky to elect its first individual black constitutional officer. But he needs to make it clear that he has insight beyond serving McConnell, whose election tactics were clear to see in the primary, and the “law enforcement community.” He appears open to discussions on criminal justice reform, medical marijuana and working with federal authorities, but a few more years experience as a lawyer or a state legislator might help him solidify his positions and prove his independence before he takes on statewide office.
The unendorsed candidate may submit a 250-word response by noon Tuesday.
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MOREWhy do we endorse?
The Herald-Leader believes the tradition of candidate endorsements enhances interest and participation in the civic process, whether readers agree with the newspaper’s recommendations or not. The paper has unusual access to candidates and their backgrounds, and considers part of its responsibility to help citizens sort through campaign issues and rhetoric.
An endorsement represents the consensus of the editorial board. The decisions have no connection to the news coverage of political races and is wholly separate from journalists who cover those races.
Unendorsed candidates can respond with 250-word letters that will be published as soon as possible.
This story was originally published October 18, 2019 at 10:54 AM.