Poll: Republican Daniel Cameron Surges in Kentucky Week Before Election

Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R-KY) has surged 14 points in the home stretch of Kentucky’s gubernatorial race with Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), and they are now locked in a dead heat, according to the latest Emerson College poll. 

The poll, published on Friday morning, shows Cameron, who has former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, tied with Beshear at 47 percent apiece among 1,000 likely voters in Kentucky. Each candidate drew the support of 469 respondents in the poll. Two percent support someone else, and four percent are undecided on who they will vote for in Tuesday’s election. 

Among undecideds, 62 percent lean toward Cameron, while 39 percent lean toward Beshear. When they are included, Cameron takes the lead with 49 percent to Beshear’s 48 percent.

Cameron has jumped a staggering 14 points since the first days of October when he registered at 33 percent in an Emerson College poll. Conversely, Beshear has slipped two points since then, when he landed at 49 percent. This marks a 16-point swing in Cameron’s favor in just one month. 

Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College polling, noted that Cameron “appears to have gained ground by consolidating Republican voters who supported former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election,” adding: 

In October, 54% of Trump supporters supported Cameron; now, as election day approaches, that number has jumped to 79% – a 25-point increase. Notably, October’s poll was of registered voters in Kentucky, while this final election poll includes only those who are very likely or have already voted in Kentucky.

In 2020, 60 percent of the poll’s respondents voted for Trump over President Joe Biden, who received 35.4 percent of support among the poll participants. However, in 2019, 45 percent supported Beshear in the governor’s race, while 44 percent of respondents said they voted for former Gov. Matt Bevin (R-KY). 

“The race between Biden Cheerleader Andy Beshear and Trump-backed Attorney General Daniel Cameron continues to tighten,” Sean Southard, a Cameron campaign spokesman, told Breitbart News in a statement.  

“It’s clear momentum is building for AG Cameron as voters learn more about Andy’s continued support for Joe Biden and his agenda in Kentucky,” he added. “Attorney General Cameron is in a strong position to win and deliver a new era of Republican leadership for Kentucky.”

The poll was conducted from October 30, 2023, to November 2, 2023, and the credibility interval registers at ± three percentage points.