FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) is set to announce his pick for Lieutenant Governor on Wednesday.
The Republican nominee for Kentucky's governor will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. in Frankfort, revealing who he's choosing as his second-in-command.
Cameron is running against incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear (D) in this November's general elections which will decide Kentucky's next governor.
Beshear pledged last week to redouble his push for higher teacher pay and universal access to early childhood education if he wins reelection, offering a glowing assessment of Kentucky's future that he said was fueled by record economic development gains that have occurred on his watch.
Beshear said Kentucky can't continue on its trajectory of economic momentum if it lags behind other states in what it pays its teachers.
The Democratic governor said he would again include funding for universal pre-K in the budget plan he presents to lawmakers next year if he wins reelection to a second term in November. Such access to preschool “solves child-care problems” for many parents and “makes sure that no one starts kindergarten behind,” the governor said.
Beshear said that he also wants to bolster funding for public safety, which includes equipping Kentucky law enforcement officers with “the most advanced” body armor.
Earlier in the week, Cameron proposed awarding recruitment and retention bonuses to bolster police forces and offered up his vision for public education.
Cameron has said he would push to raise starting pay for Kentucky teachers and reduce their administrative paperwork if he’s elected governor.
“It’s about having a world-class education system that is about reading, writing and math and making sure that our schools don’t become incubators for liberal and progressive ideas,” he said.
Cameron also stressed his staunch opposition to abortion, saying he wants to “make sure that our most cherished and valued asset, our unborn, have every opportunity to reach their fullest and God-given potential.”
Cameron pounded away at Beshear's response to the COVID-19 pandemic — the issue that dominated the first couple of years of the governor's term. The Republican challenger said the governor's virus-related restrictions forced some businesses to close while others were allowed to stay open. Beshear has staunchly defended his actions, saying the restrictions saved lives.
Cameron also took aim at Beshear's veto of a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in school sports matching their gender identity from sixth grade through college.
“His is a vision ... that said it is OK for biological males to play women’s sports,” Cameron said.
Beshear, meanwhile, accused his opponent of pounding a "steady drumbeat of division, of anger.”
“That is not who we are as people, and it is not what we can allow to win this election," Beshear said. "Think about it — an election where we run saying everybody has value, everyone should be a part of what’s to come. That is exactly who we are as Kentuckians.”
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