The largest police union in the commonwealth — the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police –has endorsed Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron for governor over incumbent Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear.
While the announcement was unveiled last week, Cameron was in Northern Kentucky on Tuesday morning touting the endorsement at the Covington Fraternal Order of Police Lodge.
“The FOP endorsement is a testament to the values we all share in our common goal of building a safer, more unified state,” Cameron said.
Ryan Straw, vice president of the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police, said representatives from the organization will host press conferences around the state in the coming days to advertise their endorsement.
Last week, LINK nky reported that over 10,700 Kentucky FOP members were canvassed at the Kentucky State Caucus meeting on who the organization should choose to endorse in the governor’s race. The caucus meeting occurred during the National Fraternal Order of Police conference in Las Vegas.
“It was an overwhelming choice for our membership,” Straw said. “In Las Vegas, Nevada at our national FOP conference, we took a vote amongst all our lodges, and I’m telling you, it was not even close,” Straw said.
In the 2019 gubernatorial election, the organization endorsed Beshear against incumbent Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Dating back to the 2003 election, the organization has endorsed candidates from both political parties.
- 2003: Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R)
- 2007: Gov. Steve Beshear (D)
- 2015: Candidate Jack Conway (D)
- 2019: Gov. Andy Beshear (D)
- 2023: Daniel Cameron (R)
Straw said their decision to endorse Cameron stemmed from the working relationship they had developed since Cameron assumed office as Attorney General in 2021.
“Working with AG the last four years, I can tell you that there hasn’t been one thing that we haven’t been impressed with,” Straw said.