Pro-Craft PAC hits Daniel Cameron in first attack ad as 'soft, establishment teddy bear'

The Republican gubernatorial primary in Kentucky has been a mostly cordial affair between the candidates over the past year, but it veered into the negative Monday with new TV attack ads against Daniel Cameron by a PAC supporting Kelly Craft.

The TV ad from Commonwealth PAC — an unauthorized campaign committee — says Cameron "is nice, but he's no strong Kentucky conservative," criticizing him for not joining other Republican attorneys general in suing President Joe Biden's administration when they tried to "stop construction of the border wall."

"With illegals and deadly fentanyl flowing across Biden's open borders, who would we rather have leading Kentucky?" the ad narrator asks. "A conservative grizzly bear? Or Daniel Cameron, Kentucky's soft, establishment teddy bear."

The ad features a loud grizzly bear with its roar shaking the screen — though not identifying which candidate would fit the description of such a bear — then morphs a photo of Cameron into a teddy bear wearing a suit.

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Commonwealth PAC has spent $600,000 to run the ad statewide on TV for the next two weeks, starting Monday.

Not much is known about who runs or funds Commonwealth PAC, as its chairman — Greg Couch, the Lexington-based founder of Meridian Wealth Management — has not responded to inquiries about the PAC since it formed in February.

Unauthorized campaign committees — which can support or oppose candidates, but not legally coordinate with any campaigns — do not have to file reports with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance until April 18, so the financial backers of the PAC will likely remain unknown until then.

With just 71 days until the primary election, the most recent independent polling from January shows Cameron with a sizable lead over his GOP rivals.

Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy found that 39% of Republican respondents supported Cameron in the GOP primary, followed by Craft with 13%. Following them were Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles with 8%, state Auditor Mike Harmon with 5% and Somerset Mayor Alan Keck with 2%.

More:Poll: Andy Beshear tops 4 key Republican candidates in 2023 Kentucky governor's election

Responding to the new attack ads, Cameron issued a statement suggesting he's being attacked because of his strong lead in the polls.

"It's flattering to be attacked this early because it shows the strength of our lead, and also lays bare the fact that my opponents know they can't win on their own merits," Cameron said. "I know voters are smart — they’ll see this for what it is — silliness."

Cameron went on to note that he has successfully sued Biden and Gov. Andy Beshear — the likely Democratic nominee in the general election — which is "why President Donald Trump has endorsed my campaign for Governor."

"President Trump endorsed me over candidates who used to work for him," Cameron said, a reference to Craft, who served as ambassador to Canada and to the United Nations under Trump. "Why? Because he knows that I do more than talk. He knows I've taken action. And Trump knows I have the courage and the skill to fight and win."

In a fundraising email later that day highlighting the ads attacking him, Cameron said "they're spending $600,000 to lie about me," adding "I've been working hard to slay the BEAR that is the liberal left's woke agenda."

Spokespersons for Craft's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Commonwealth PAC ad on Monday.

More:Kelly Craft takes over fundraising lead among GOP candidates in Kentucky governor race

The attack also came on the eve of the first Republican debate in the primary race for governor — which Craft declined to attend after being invited.

The Jefferson County Republican Party invited five of the GOP candidates to participate in their debate Tuesday night, with Cameron, Quarles, Harmon and Keck accepting.

While Craft is not participating in the debate, her campaign led all GOP candidates in fundraising by the end of 2022 and has spent well over $1 million on TV ads running since late December.

Cameron placed just behind Craft in fundraising at year's end and has an unauthorized campaign committee supporting his candidacy, though neither the PAC nor his campaign have made any significant ad buys yet.

The Mason-Dixon poll from January found Beshear had a significant lead over Cameron, Craft, Quarles and Harmon in a hypothetical general election matchup. Beshear faces two longshot challengers in the Democratic primary.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Pro-Kelly Craft PAC hits Daniel Cameron in attack ad as 'teddy bear'