Former Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron to speak at Fancy Farm for Trump campaign

Then-gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron speaks during the 143rd Fancy Farm Picnic on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

The former Republican Kentucky attorney general who lost last year’s gubernatorial race to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear will speak as a surrogate for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign at the upcoming annual Fancy Farm Picnic.

Steven Elder, the political chairman for the Graves County picnic known for political speaking and barbeque, shared the update Monday about the addition of Daniel Cameron as a speaker. A Kentucky Democratic Party spokesperson referred the Lantern to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign when asked if a surrogate for Harris would also speak at the picnic.

Cameron, whose one term as attorney general ended in January, is now CEO of a group opposed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices among corporations.

As speculation has swirled about Beshear being a potential running mate for Harris, Cameron recently commented on Beshear’s statement that Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance wasn’t a true Kentuckian.

Cameron said on Fox Business that Trump would win Kentucky this November and that there were “a lot more people that grew up here in Kentucky like J.D. Vance than they did (like) Andy Beshear.”

Former president Donald Trump won Kentucky’s eight electoral votes by a wide margin, 62% to 36%, in the 2020 presidential election. But Beshear was able to defy the state’s conservative leaning by beating Cameron in last year’s gubernatorial election, winning the state by about 5 percentage points.

Neither Beshear nor Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman , the only state-wide elected Democrats, are speaking at this year’s picnic. Beshear has only attended the Fancy Farm Picnic twice in the past five years: in 2019 when he was challenging former Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, and in 2023 when he was running for reelection as governor.

Those confirmed to be speaking at the picnic include Republicans Attorney General Russell Coleman, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, Secretary of State Michael Adams and Treasurer Mark Metcalf.

The Fancy Farm Picnic is Saturday, Aug. 3. Speeches begin at 2 p.m local time. Father Jim Sichko , of Lexington, is this year’s emcee.