I wonder what Daniel Cameron would make of Matt Bevin’s new ad claiming—falsely—that as governor, Andy Beshear “would allow illegal immigrants to swarm our state.”
(Forward Kentucky cross-posted a story about the ad from Daily Kos.)
The spot is fear-mongering at best, nativist race-baiting at worst. Bevin, a Republican who wants another term as governor, is white. Cameron, who wants to be Bevin’s attorney general, is African American.
“Cameron voiced support for legislation introduced this month in the Kentucky General Assembly and touted by Bevin that would prevent local governments and state universities from adopting so-called ‘sanctuary policies’ for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and direct those agencies to work with law enforcement in support of federal immigration laws” the Bowling Green Daily News reported in July.
Cameron dabbled in some Trumpian xenophobia in his Fancy Farm speech. He accused—falsely—Greg Stumbo, his Democratic opponent, of trying “to give illegals driver’s licenses here in the commonwealth of Kentucky” and said—falsely—that Stumbo was for “open borders and sanctuary policies.” (See a pattern here?)
At Fancy Farm and at the state NAACP convention last weekend in Paducah, Cameron said he’s glad Trump is backing him.
He also bragged on working for Mitch McConnell in Washington. (McConnell’s gets an “F” on the latest NAACP Federal Civil Rights Legislative Report Card.)
“I’m a proud Republican so I align myself with the values of the Republican Party,” he said at the convention, while admitting he’s not an NAACP member.
He noted that his election to statewide office in Kentucky would be historic. He would be the second African American to win statewide office in Kentucky, after the current Lieutenant Governor, Jenean Hampton.
J.W. Cleary, longtime Paducah NAACP branch president, heard Cameron’s remarks. He commented afterward, “We [in the NAACP] have always taken the attitude that somebody who looks like you is not necessarily for you, or might not have your interests at heart. We’ve got so many African Americans that feel like they have arrived. The young man is a super guy, but he just seems like he has forgotten where he came from.”
As part of his NAACP remarks, Cameron said, “I have been endorsed by President Trump. I think most folks in this room know that. I don’t shrink away from that.”
Trump bashed immigrants up and down the campaign trail. Know-Nothing style nativism is a big part of his reelection pitch.
Trump loves Bevin; Bevin loves Trump back. It will be interesting to see if Cameron—who loves them both—shrinks from the Bevin immigrant-bashing ad.
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