Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman hopes to do something no other Republican has done as attorney general — get a second term in office.
Coleman, 50, formally announced his reelection bid for the 2027 election in Oldham County Thursday afternoon surrounded by his family, friends and a crowd of supporters, including fellow Republicans Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell and former Attorney General Daniel, who recently sought the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, but lost to U.S. Rep. Andy Barr last month.
In his remarks, Coleman said his campaign is starting with $500,000 in cash on hand. He also emphasized that he wished to continue several policies in another term, such as suing online gaming platform Roblox for allegedly failing to protect children from online predators and seeking an end to Kentucky’s ban on using the death penalty, particularly in a case where Ralph Baze was convicted of murdering Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Sheriff Arthur Briscoe in 1992.
“I am humbled by the support we’ve already received, and I look forward to earning the trust, the confidence of Kentuckians from every corner of this commonwealth,” Coleman said.
In 2023, Coleman received about 58% of the vote to defeat now state House Democratic Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson, of Louisville. She recently sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate but lost to former state Rep. Charles Booker.
Coleman was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky in 2017 and has since been a strong supporter of the president. However, Coleman’s office and the Trump administration have been at odds in court over state regulation of prediction markets, with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filing a federal lawsuit against the state this week.
When asked if he had spoken with the president or his political team in recent trips to Washington, D.C., about an endorsement for reelection, Coleman said that the focus of a May White House visit was to discuss Medicaid fraud and abuse with Vice President JD Vance and other states’ attorneys general.
No other candidates have announced a run for attorney general ahead of the 2027 election at this time.
