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Westerfield Drops Out Of Race For Kentucky Attorney General

Kentucky LRC

State Sen. Whitney Westerfield has dropped out of the race for Kentucky attorney general, citing time constraints from his role in the legislature.

Westerfield is the Republican chair of the Senate’s judiciary committee and narrowly lost a race for attorney general to Democrat Andy Beshear in 2015.

In a statement, Westerfield said running for the state’s top legal officer is “no longer feasible at this time.”

“I have been overwhelmed by the support I received during this campaign, but this decision will hopefully give another qualified candidate the opportunity to run their campaign as it should be run,” Westerfield said.

Westerfield’s decision to remove himself from the race comes days after Republican attorney Daniel Cameron entered it.

Cameron is a former University of Louisville football player and lawyer for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.

In a statement posted on Twitter shortly after Westerfield’s announcement, Cameron called Westerfield a “strong and effective leader.”

“I know he is a man of God, who exhibits his faith on a daily basis. I respect his decision to withdraw from the AG race and know the Lord will continue to use him,” Cameron said.

So far, Cameron is the only Republican to announce a run for attorney general ahead of the deadline on January 29.

Former Democratic attorney general Greg Stumbo has said he will run for the office again, but he still hasn’t officially filed his paperwork.

Ryland Barton is the Managing Editor for Collaboratives. He's covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He grew up in Lexington.

Email Ryland at rbarton@lpm.org.
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