Who will be Daniel Cameron’s running mate? These are the names to watch

Daniel Cameron has a choice to make.

For the first time in modern Kentucky history, a candidate for governor is able to take time to select his lieutenant governor running mate after claiming his party’s nomination.

Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear, who Cameron is running against, picked his lieutenant governor Jacqueline Coleman during the Democratic primary in 2019 before the law changed allowing candidates to wait until Aug. 8 of an election year.

With Republicans’ bench of elected officials growing as they continue to gain influence in the state, Cameron’s campaign has no shortage of people to pick from. Could the current attorney general choose a member of the crowded field who challenged him for the GOP nomination? Might he prioritize a person well-known in a battleground region? Or could he surprise everyone with a pick out of left field?

University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss said that while the lieutenant governor pick is the source of much speculation among the chattering class, it often tends to matter less than some might think. Vice presidential selections normally don’t sway the electorate much, and he said the identity of a lieutenant governor running mate “generally won’t matter.”

But the pick matters as an opportunity to get headlines and to advance a campaign message around the event of the running mate’s selection, which will inevitably draw major news coverage in the state. Voss said Beshear took advantage of that opportunity given the hot topic of attitudes toward teachers in 2019 when he picked Coleman, an educator.

“This is an opportunity to saturate the electorate with a message, which campaigns rarely get. Beshear’s selection of a teacher was symbolically important when he was running with (former governor) Matt Bevin, who sparred with teachers,” Voss said. “That allowed Beshear to make a significant addition to his message.”

Al Cross, a veteran journalist and Kentucky political observer, and Voss agreed that the main objective in picking a running mate is to “do no harm,” and avoid someone who has serious baggage.

Cross said that an added element in the race is a historic one – as the first Black candidate for governor in Kentucky’s history, Cameron faces a challenge in courting voters who may hold some racist views.

“There are still people roughly my age who might be resistant to vote for an African-American – that’s sad to say, but it’s the truth… Folks with outdated racial attitudes are gradually dying off, but I’m sure it’s at least a small factor,” Cross said.

A more rural candidate – while Cameron grew up in Hardin County, he’s lived in the Louisville area for several years – might be able to pull in some of those voters, Cross indicated.

It’s possible that Cameron’s lieutenant governor pick could prove highly important in the event that Cameron were to leave his post before a hypothetical 2027 election.

Cameron did not respond directly when asked by KET’s Renee Shaw to state that he would not run for U.S. Senate if there is a vacancy in 2026, the year that the senate seat held by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, is next on the ballot. Cameron and McConnell have close professional ties.

Here are some names that we’ve either heard might be considered or would make sense under those criteria.

Cameron himself did not respond directly when asked earlier this month if his team had established a timeline to pick a running mate.

The top (potential) picks

Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles: Quarles makes a lot of sense on paper. The second-place finisher, who’s held office in Frankfort since his mid-20s, is connected to politicians across the state and he knows the General Assembly well.

Quarles’ ties to Central Kentucky – he got 32% in Fayette County and won a handful of suburban counties – are strong in a way that could complement Cameron.

There is a question, here, of whether or not Quarles would take the job. The political track record of recent lieutenant governors isn’t exactly sterling. Quarles, who holds a doctorate in education, could vie for an open job in the area like the presidency at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System instead of playing second fiddle in Capitol.

“I have wondered if Ryan Quarles, who has many college degrees and could probably be president of a university somewhere, really wants to be subordinate to Daniel Cameron. They would have to reach some kind of firm understanding,” Cross said.

When contacted about the prospect of being Cameron’s lieutenant governor, Quarles chose not to comment.

House Speaker Pro Tem David Meade, R-Stanford: Though not as frequently discussed as an option for Cameron’s camp in public, Meade’s name has been circulating around Frankfort as a potential pick for lieutenant governor.

Meade, a decorated auctioneer, has a rural affect to him that could come in handy when courting voters in counties with a similar profile to his native Lincoln County.

Like Quarles, Meade would bring several legislative connections in the House and Senate. A unique factor that could lead Cameron to favor Meade is his close involvement in the formation of Senate Bill 150 – a bill that social conservatives cheered but many progressives derided as anti-trans – which was technically sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, but reconfigured and vociferously defended by Meade and others in the House.

When asked at an event earlier this month about the prospect of joining the Cameron ticket, Meade said that Cameron hadn’t yet asked him about it.

“We’d have to cross that bridge if we came to it. I’d have to do a lot of thinking and praying over that one to decide what I’d do, but I can tell you that Daniel Cameron has not asked me about that,” Meade said.

Other prominent names

Somerset Mayor Alan Keck: During his bid for governor this year, Keck impressed a lot of close political observers with his eloquence and many on the political left with his more centrist presentation. But those traits didn’t win him many votes on election day, as he finished in 6th place with 2.4% of the vote. In his native Pulaski County, he finished in third place with just 16%.

Still, if the campaign values a well-spoken surrogate that could match Cameron’s youthful energy, Keck could prove a solid pick. He won plaudits for his performances on the debate stage this cycle, and made the rounds on all types of media across the state during his run.

Keck told the Herald-Leader that he and Cameron have not discussed the lieutenant governor slot.

“I fully support him and plan to help however I can. I am excited to continue the great work we’ve accomplished in Somerset and helping our entire region,” Keck said.

Senate Majority Caucus Leader Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville: Raque Adams’ name was floated often in the immediate aftermath of Cameron’s win.

If one subscribes to the theory that the race could be won or lost in the populous and politically moderate suburbs of East Louisville, Raque Adams would make sense. She’s very well known in the area, having risen from Louisville Metro Council, to the House, then finally to the Senate.

But Cameron is well-known in Louisville as well, where he garnered a commanding 60% of the GOP primary vote. Raque Adams has also carved out an effective niche in Senate leadership and could be hesitant to leave it for a role as amorphous as lieutenant governor.

Adams said that she and Cameron have not had a discussion regarding lieutenant governor.

“I look forward to actively working to help Daniel Cameron become our next governor,” Adams said.

Regional appeal or money

Kentucky is essentially a red state. But in 2019, Beshear’s win over Bevin showed that some regions of the Commonwealth are politically “purple” in gubernatorial races. Though they’ve lately gone red in federal and statehouse races, they were willing to support a Democratic candidate for governor in 2019.

These areas include: Central Kentucky suburbs, Northern Kentucky and near-Western Kentucky suburban communities.

In Northern Kentucky, Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore is a prominent figure, having held the top office in the fifth-most populous county in Kentucky since 1998. Newly-elected Rep. Stephanie Dietz, R-Edgewood, is also from Northern Kentucky and recently impressed in a tight win over former Democratic representative and current Secretary of State nominee Buddy Wheatley. Unlike Dietz’s more moderate profile, Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, a previous gubernatorial candidate before a surprise dropout, would bring a brand of outspoken libertarian-adjacent verve to a ticket.

In the Western Kentucky city of Owensboro, a growing community, House GOP Caucus Leader Suzanne Miles could help shore up her home county as well as Henderson County, which sided with Beshear in 2019. The fast-growing Warren County handed Bevin a three-point loss in 2019, and its possible that retired judge-executive Mike Buchanon – who led the county for nearly 30 years – could ensure a win there in 2023. Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, could help seal a win in his home county and the greater region. He’s had a long career in public service, brings a small business background and made culture war headlines when he sponsored a bill that banned transgender women and girls from competing in womens’ sports from sixth grade through college.

While Quarles would represent a play for Central Kentucky, particularly his Scott County home, another ring county that Beshear won previously is to the South. As Madison County went, so did Kentucky – Beshear’s statewide win tracked closer with Madison than any other county – and Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor could help there. Auditor Mike Harmon finished just barely above Keck in the primary with 2.6% of the vote, but is well-liked among faith and ‘liberty’ communities that make up a strong core of the GOP base. His addition to the ticket could help secure Boyle County, which was essentially a tie between Bevin and Beshear in 2019 — meanwhile, Harmon won re-election there by 35 points.

Wealth, or at least proximity to wealth, has traditionally been a strong consideration for running mates. The roster of rich and politically active people in Kentucky is long, but few poke their heads out in the public square.

It’s likely fair to strike former ambassador and third-place finisher and former ambassador Kelly Craft — who, with her coal magnate husband, is in a family worth more than $1 billion — from consideration given her comments about “attacks from her opponents” towards her family. That appeared to reference comments made by Cameron in a debate, as well as attacks coming from pro-Cameron forces throughout the race.

Waste management company founder Nate Morris recently brought his now-publicly traded Rubicon to Lexington, and while he’s found great success in business he first rose to prominence through politics. At 23 years-old, Morris caught the eye of many politicos as a fundraising ‘bundler’ for president George W. Bush. Because of that history, the 42-year-old’s name has been tossed around for offices in Kentucky.