Daniel Cameron banking on his name ID to overcome lackluster fundraising in Kentucky Senate race

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Making his pitch to connect with a Republican crowd that instantly recognized him, Kentucky Senate candidate Daniel Cameron likened the gathering to a family reunion — a feel-good reminder of his status as a party stalwart in the Bluegrass State.

Cameron — a former state attorney general and unsuccessful nominee for governor, once seen by many as the obvious heir apparent to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell — is banking on that familiarity with voters to overcome tepid fundraising.

Despite entering the Senate contest before his main GOP rivals — U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and businessman Nate Morris — Cameron lags behind in campaign cash. They're part of a large field of candidates competing in the 2026 race to succeed McConnell, who is retiring when his current term ends.

“I ask for your help," Cameron told Republicans gathered in western Kentucky back in the summer. “We need volunteers. This is a grassroots campaign. Look, I'm not fueled by the establishment. I don't have a lot of money in the bank account. But what I've always had is you all.”

Campaign finance reports that emerged this week confirmed Cameron's assessment of his bank account. They showed Cameron trailing far behind Barr during a period when candidates should be socking donations away. Dollars don't vote, of course, but the lack of them can set off alarms.

Cameron is still widely seen as the front-runner, based on near-universal name recognition statewide from his campaigns for governor and attorney general. But can he raise enough money? Or will outside groups fill the void?

Cameron has yet to air a Senate campaign ad on TV, while Barr and Morris have filled the airwaves with early commercials.

Cameron's sluggish fundraising drew ridicule from Barr, who had 10 times more campaign cash on hand than Cameron in the latest reports.

In a testy social media exchange Wednesday, Barr told Cameron: “You're stagnant, have no money, and you already blew one statewide race” despite President Donald Trump's endorsement. Cameron answered by pointing to a recent Barr campaign poll acknowledging that Cameron was ahead but claiming the congressman has the momentum. “Rep. Barr put out a poll that confirms what everyone already knows: I'm the front-runner,” Cameron said.

Once seen as a rising GOP star, Cameron became Kentucky's first Black attorney general and snagged a prominent speaking role to promote Trump at the 2020 GOP convention.

His reputation was dimmed by his loss in the 2023 governor's race to Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear despite Trump's backing in a state trending Republican. Cameron's paltry fundraising numbers could reflect some of that tarnish, though raising money has never been his strong suit.

“Daniel's never been very good at fundraising,” said former state Sen. Damon Thayer, a Barr supporter. “Fundraising in America, for better or for worse, is a key indicator of whether a candidate is going to be successful or not. It's clear to me that major donors in Kentucky and across the country ... just don't want to put their money behind Daniel Cameron.”

Cameron has insisted he will have the resources to win. His campaign sees the early spending sprees by Barr and Morris as efforts to gain something Cameron already has — favorable name recognition.

“People here in Kentucky, you can’t buy an election," Cameron told The Associated Press back in August. “They want to know you. They want to know your values.”

Barr raised $1.8 million in the July-through-September quarter, while Cameron brought in $411,000, their financial reports showed. Barr had nearly $6.7 million on hand at quarter's end, compared to about $630,000 for Cameron. Barr had a built-in advantage: he was able to transfer money from his House campaigns into his Senate campaign. Still, he's raised several million more in donations since entering the Senate race.

Morris raised $1 million in the recent quarter and tapped into his wealth to loan himself $3 million to jump-start his campaign. Morris ended the period with almost $1.1 million on hand but can augment that whenever he wishes. Morris has said he would spend “whatever it takes” to win.

Morris campaign spokesperson Conor McGuinness said Cameron doesn’t have the resources to compete.

The GOP hopefuls all have one thing in common — hopes of landing Trump's endorsement. Trump overwhelmingly carried Kentucky in the last three presidential elections.

Cameron rose to prominence as a protégé of McConnell, having previously worked as the senator’s general counsel. But he sided with the president over his mentor at the outset of his Senate run, chastising McConnell for opposing a trio of Trump Cabinet nominees.

Cameron has long condemned diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. He says the country should be based on a “merit and opportunity society” that means “anything is possible for our kids and our grandkids.”

Barr, who represents a district stretching from central Kentucky to the Appalachian foothills, says he's the one voting for Trump's agenda in Congress.

Morris is running as a populist outsider willing to criticize McConnell in hopes of winning over Trump’s MAGA base. Morris staked out a hard line on immigration, supporting a moratorium on immigration into the United States until every immigrant in the country illegally is deported.

Democrats in the Senate race include retired Marine aviator Amy McGrath; Pamela Stevenson, a state lawmaker and former military judge advocate general; Logan Forsythe, an attorney and former U.S. Secret Service agent; and Joel Willett, a military veteran and former CIA officer. Kentucky hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since Wendell Ford in 1992.

Other candidates have until the early January filing deadline to enter the race.