Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft in the Republican gubernatorial primary race in Kentucky as part of what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to elevate her on the eve of primary day, to no avail. Rather, Trump-backed Daniel Cameron emerged victorious, while Republicans suffered a loss in DeSantis’s home state, with a Democrat candidate winning the mayoral election in Jacksonville, Florida.
Final polling showed Cameron leading the field in the GOP Kentucky primary race for governor. The latest Emerson College Polling/Fox 56 Lexington survey showed Cameron growing his lead, to 33 percent. Craft fell 15.4 percent behind with 17.6 percent support, followed by Ryan Quarles (13.2 percent), Eric Deters (9.7 percent), Mike Harmon (4.4 percent), and Alan Keck (3.1 percent). All others saw less than two percent support.
“Cameron has grown his support amongst women, from 29% in April to 36% in the current poll,” Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling said, noting that men shifted away from Craft by ten points. And indeed, Tuesday evening, Cameron emerged victorious.
As of 8:12 p.m. Eastern, with 62 percent of the votes in, Cameron led Craft by nearly 30 percent, winning the primary:
Despite the uphill battle for Craft — who along with her husband Joe Craft are major GOP donors — DeSantis opted to throw support behind her at the eleventh hour, pitching her as the best individual to challenge Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear. Notably, former President Donald Trump endorsed Cameron, the Kentucky Attorney General, last year. DeSantis’s decision ultimately set up a proxy war between the two in the state, which DeSantis clearly lost.
“Hello, this is Governor Ron DeSantis, coming to you from the free state of Florida. You’ve had a woke, liberal governor who’s put a radical agenda ahead of Kentuckians. The stakes couldn’t be higher,” DeSantis said in the recorded message, supporting his “friend” Kelly Craft.
“I know what it takes to stand up for what’s right, and Kelly Craft’s got it. She’s proven it,” DeSantis continued, contending that she “shares the same vision we do in Florida.”
“She will stand up to the left as they try to indoctrinate our children with their woke ideology. Kelly will fight against crazy ESG policies that are trying to end the coal industry in Kentucky, and Kelly’s going to do everything in her power to end the fentanyl crisis that is hurting Kentucky families,” the governor continued.
“When you vote tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16th, vote for my friend, Kelly Craft, and get Kentucky on the path to becoming a free state like Florida,” DeSantis added:
Craft on Election Day expressed gratitude for DeSantis’s endorsement.
“I’m honored and grateful to have the support of my friend @GovRonDeSantis. He sets the example for Republican leaders around the nation because he delivers bold, conservative results,” she said, adding that “Kentucky needs to look more like Florida instead of California.”
“I look forward to ushering in a new generation of conservative leadership as Governor of Kentucky,” she added:
DeSantis’s endorsement, however, fell flat, as results showed her nearly 30 points behind shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern, falling to third place. Meanwhile, Democrat Donna Deegan flipped the mayor’s seat in DeSantis’s home turf, defeating Republican Daniel Davis in Jacksonville’s mayoral race — a major loss for Florida Republicans.
DeSantis’s last-minute endorsement of Craft comes mere days after he traveled to Iowa, where he lamented the “culture of losing.”
“We must reject the culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over,” he said. “If we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again.”
Cameron, however, seemingly hit back against DeSantis’s comment.
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