Update: Westerfield filed his letter of intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance on Tuesday.
Original Story:
A Republican state senator says he is running for attorney general in Kentucky.
Whitney Westerfield said Tuesday he will file a letter of intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. That means Westerfield can raise money for the election that won't happen until 2019.
It will be the second statewide campaign for Westerfield, who lost the 2015 attorney general's race to Democrat Andy Beshear by less than half of a percentage point.
Westerfield says Beshear is not doing enough to combat the state's drug addiction problem. He also criticized Beshear's lawsuits against Governor Matt Bevin.
Beshear has not said if he will seek re-election. A spokeswoman said Beshear has used settlement money to fund drug treatment programs and "had the courage" to check executive power by suing the governor.
