Top GOP contender in tight governor’s race took money from pro-ESG companies despite pledge against policy
Fox News
FIRST ON FOX— Republican Kentucky Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron’s campaign has received over $60,000 in PAC money from companies supportive of ESG policies, despite vowing to halt ESG-related spending in the state.
Cameron pledged that on “day one” as governor, he would pause environmental, social and governance spending (ESG) in state pension funds. The Attorney General also encouraged other gubernatorial candidates to take the pledge.
However, between 2019-2023, Cameron received $60,750 in corporate PAC money from companies like Capital One, J.P. Morgan, Citigroup and Amgen – all of which have published ESG and sustainability reports, according to election financial reports obtained by Fox News Digital.
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The election finance reports could be troublesome for Cameron, who is running on a platform against ESG investing that he claims will destroy fossil fuel industries. He is currently facing a tough battle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination against former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.
Craft’s campaign has hammered Cameron over what it says was his role in not pushing for a West Virginia coal power plant, which provides energy to Kentuckians, to remain open, something Cameron has said brought no economic value to Kentucky. Craft’s husband has, however, made his billion-dollar fortune from the coal industry.
Cameron claims that ESG investing, which vows to divest funds to fight climate change and unfair labor practices, is “inconsistent with state law,” according to a May 2022 opinion issued in his official capacity as attorney general.
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In the opinion, Cameron wrote that “there is an increasing trend among some investment management firms to use money in public and state employee pension plans – that is, other people’s money – to push their own political agendas and force social change.”
Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has also taken action against ESG initiatives, signing Senate Bill 205 into law in April. The law requires government entities to “to divest from the listed financial company if it does not cease its energy company boycott.”
The Bluegrass State relies heavily on fossil fuels, with coal-fired power plants supplying 71% of the state’s energy in 2021. Kentucky is also the seventh-largest coal producer in the country.
If Cameron succeeds in the Republican primary, he would likely face Beshear, who is considered one of the most popular governors in the nation with one of the highest approval ratings, according to polls.
Cameron’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.