Topline
Former President Donald Trump lashed out against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday, blaming the GOP stalwart for Trump-endorsed candidate Daniel Cameron’s loss in the hotly contested Kentucky gubernatorial race on Tuesday, as Trump continues to separate himself from McConnell — and as the former president’s losing streak in endorsement battles drags on.
Former President Donald Trump blamed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for Kentucky … [+] Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron’s loss.
Key Facts
Trump claimed in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that Cameron, Kentucky’s Republican attorney general, lost the election to incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear because Cameron “couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell,” calling McConnell’s relationship with Cameron “too much to bear.”
Beshear won his re-election in the battleground race Tuesday, taking 52.3% of the vote over Cameron’s 46.8%, despite the red-state voting overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections and Cameron riding on a Trump endorsement.
Cameron, a close McConnell ally, had previously served as McConnell’s legal counsel, though in his gubernatorial campaign he platformed much more heavily on his Trump endorsement than his ties to the Senate minority leader, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
In his Truth Social post, Trump — who has increasingly distanced himself from McConnell — slammed the minority leader and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) as “Kryptonite for Republican Candidates” (Trump has fallen out with Romney in recent years after the former Massachusetts governor voted to convict Trump in consecutive impeachment trials).
Contra
Trump, whose promise of a “red wave” of Republican wins in the midterm elections last year fell flat, had another lackluster Election Day Tuesday, including in New York City, where an exonerated member of the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam — won a City Council seat, nearly 35 years after Trump called for the death penalty in the wake of the event. Voters in Ohio also approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday guaranteeing residents’ right to abortion, rebuffing Trump, who has taken credit for the Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade by nominating conservative justices to the court. Still, Trump-endorsed Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves won reelection on Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Brandon Presley in the deep-red state. A series of Trump-endorsed candidates also lost in last year’s midterms, including key Senate races in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Key Background
Beshear, who was first elected governor in 2019, has maintained his popularity in the red state despite running on a traditionally liberal platform, including his support for the right to abortion. Kentucky voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, capturing 63% of the vote in his 2016 win and 62% the following election. Trump’s relationship with McConnell has soured in recent years, especially in the wake of the January 6 riots, after McConnell criticized Trump and opposed the Republican National Committee’s censure of former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for sitting on the House select committee that investigated the insurrection. Trump, in return, has labeled McConnell an “old crow” Republican and accused him of weak leadership in the Senate.
Further Reading
Kentucky Reelects Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear In Closely Watched Battleground Race (Forbes)
How Tuesday’s Election Was A Rebuke Of Trump—Extending His Losing Streak (Forbes)
