The two leading candidates in the race for the Republican nomination in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race appeared separately in Paducah Friday, never sharing the stage – or even a room – at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum.
In front of a crowd of around 200 people, Congressman Andy Barr and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron weighed in on the war in Iran, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, the retirement of coal-fired power plants in the region and other economic matters.
Barr, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement earlier this month, pitched himself as the natural successor for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime Senate GOP leader.
“It’s important that we have a U.S. Senator who can hit the ground running on day one, who doesn’t need on the job training … I know this job because I’m doing this job,” said Barr, who currently serves Kentucky’s 6th U.S. House District.
Barr also has the endorsement of former fellow GOP candidate Nate Morris – who he had fiercely criticized since last summer as a “puppet” of McConnell. Morris threw his support behind Barr after the Lexington businessman announced he had dropped out of the race at the president’s request to accept an unspecified ambassadorship in his administration.
Cameron – who entered from the other side of the room as Barr left – spoke about why he got into the race to replace McConnell, who he served as legal counsel for before he was elected to state office in 2019.
“We want to ensure that this country – and more specifically this commonwealth – lives up to the ideals of its founding: a country that is based on merit and opportunity and is not riven by the divisions that we see pushed on us by the left, namely in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said. “We don't need a country that is built on diversity, equity and inclusion. We need a country that is built on merit, excellence, intelligence and integrity.”
The list of questions for the forum – moderated by WPSD Local 6 anchor Todd Faulkner – hewed toward business-related concerns and regional economic development, including whether the candidates would work to secure continued funding for projects like the Kentucky Lock Addition Project and Barkley Regional Airport.
In separate interviews, WKMS asked Barr and Cameron to differentiate themselves from each other on policy matters. Before taking the stage, Barr accused Cameron of having a “soft on crime” record and decried the former Kentucky AG’s support of no cash bail – messaging echoing an attack ad on Cameron funded by the Kentucky PAC that started airing last month.
“I do not agree with Mr. Cameron on a no cash bail system. I’ve never supported a no cash bail system … [that] results in the premature release of criminals back on the streets. I disagree with that. I don’t agree with his position to reduce criminal penalties for drug offenses.”
Barr also criticized Cameron’s support of what he called “the premature closure” of the Mitchell Plant – a coal-fired power plant in West Virginia that supplies power for some eastern Kentuckians, which the former AG recommended closing in 2021 because he didn’t think the facility provided an economic benefit to the Bluegrass State.
After the event, Cameron said that some of the big differences between himself and Barr are that he hasn’t “been in Congress for 14 years” and his support of reform efforts for pharmacy benefit managers, middleman businesses between drug manufacturers and pharmacists that have been blamed by many for the widespread closures of independent pharmacies and higher prescription drug costs.
“I'm the only candidate in the race that's talking about the fact that we need to reform the PBM process. Congressman Barr has relationships with ‘Big Pharma’ and ‘Big Healthcare,’ but I'm fighting for our independent and small businesses and our independent pharmacists. They need a champion in the United States Senate that's going to advance what's referred to as the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, and I'm going to be the champion for that … to make sure that we lower the cost for prescription drugs and hopefully lower the overall health care costs.”
The primary election is May 19. For more information on these and other candidates, check out the WKMS voter guide.
