Daniel Cameron (American politician)

Daniel Cameron
Official portrait, 2021
51st Attorney General of Kentucky
In office
January 6, 2020 – January 1, 2024
Acting: December 17, 2019 – January 6, 2020
GovernorAndy Beshear
Preceded byAndy Beshear
Succeeded byRussell Coleman
Personal details
Born
Daniel Jay Cameron

(1985-11-22) November 22, 1985 (age 39)
Plano, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Cameron
(m. 2016; div. 2017)

Makenze Evans
(m. 2020)
Children2
EducationUniversity of Louisville (BS, JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Daniel Jay Cameron (born November 22, 1985) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 51st attorney general of Kentucky from 2020 to 2024.[1] A member of the Republican Party, Cameron was the first African American and the first Republican since 1943 to be elected to the office. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial election, losing to Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear.[2]

Born in Plano, Texas, Cameron moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky as a child. He attended the University of Louisville for his undergraduate and legal education. Cameron worked as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove for two years, and was then legal counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from 2015 to 2017. In September 2020, he was among the final 20 additions to President Donald Trump's updated list of his potential Supreme Court nominees.

Cameron ran in the 2019 Kentucky Attorney General election, receiving Trump's endorsement after the primary. He won with 57.7% of the vote. As attorney general, Cameron unsuccessfully challenged several of Beshear's COVID-19 restrictions. Following the killing of Breonna Taylor, Cameron announced the decision of his office as special prosecutor not to charge the two police officers who had shot and killed her, leading to widespread protests against Cameron's decision.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Cheves, John (November 5, 2019). "Daniel Cameron elected Kentucky attorney general, says he will support GOP leaders". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "Ky. AG Daniel Cameron officially running for governor". WKYT. May 11, 2022.
  3. ^ "Breonna Taylor supporters launch campaign against GOP gubernatorial nominee in Kentucky". AP News. June 5, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Austin, Andre Toran and Emma. "Louisville protest at Daniel Cameron's house was a 'successful occupation' with no arrests". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "87 protesters arrested at Kentucky attorney general's home". AP News. July 15, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2023.