By STEVE SPRINGER @racercard
University of Louisville alum and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is one of the favorites for the open United States Senate seat to replace long-time senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell. Cameron played defensive back on the 2006 team that went 12-1, won the Big East Conference title and capped the season with a BCS win in the Orange Bowl, and also hangs two degrees from the school on his wall.
I got the opportunity to talk to Daniel regarding his thoughts about UofL, and how he would be an advocate for the university in Washington, D.C. and hear his thoughts as to why Cardinal fans on both sides of the aisle should vote for him:
ULCG:
Daniel, how do you feel about what Coach Jeff Brohm and Coach Pat Kelsey have done to revitalize UofL’s two main sports?
Daniel Cameron:
I’m excited and ecstatic about the way Coach Brohm and Coach Kelsey have re-energized not only the teams, but just as importantly, the fan base. Being part of the culture of UofL sports, having spent time there as a football player, and seeing the energy back for both programs is pretty exciting to watch. I’ve got a vested interest in seeing Coach Brohm succeed. He was part of the staff when I was on the team—just a great guy with great X’s and O’s—so I’m really excited about what he’s built.
Pat Kelsey is a firecracker. He knows how to motivate and energize a team, and that’s what we’ve seen. It’s been really fun to watch, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the resurgence of the program, which is primarily because of those two men.
ULCG:
On that note, now that the basketball team is bringing rejuvenated energy back to downtown Louisville, is there anything specific you can do on the national level to help supplement economic growth in the state’s biggest city?
Daniel Cameron:
I think what’s really critical for a senator from this Commonwealth is to help set the conditions to ensure that Louisville and all of our cities are in a position to participate in what I’d call the energy resurgence in this nation. When you think about technologies coming online—whether it’s crypto, AI, or data centers—we have low-cost, reliable energy.
Those technologies aren’t going to work for everyone, but I’m excited that we’re even able to have the conversation around them. Louisville is in a good position to participate. When you think about the future of remote work and destination cities that people gravitate toward, Louisville fits that mold. It has the arts, sports, entertainment, and neighborhoods that are inviting and exciting.
If I’m in a position to help create conditions that make people want to come to Kentucky, that means continuing to keep tax rates low, standing firm for energy independence, fighting for coal and natural gas, and ensuring our streets are as safe as possible. Those are things I want to focus on as a senator for the people of Louisville and the entire Commonwealth.
ULCG:
When you are elected as one of the next senators for the state, how will that be beneficial for the University of Louisville specifically?
Daniel Cameron:
I have a long history with the University of Louisville—undergrad, playing football, and attending law school—so it has a special place in my heart. It gave me an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop as a young man, and I’ll never take that for granted.
I want to ensure that UofL continues to occupy space as a world-class university that people are attracted to. Sports help with that. If you have strong football and basketball programs, along with soccer and others, people gravitate toward the school. I want to be an ambassador for those programs and for the academic excellence at UofL.
We’ve got a terrific medical school and engineering school, and I want to encourage people to take a look at UofL and attend. If I can help with that as a senator from this Commonwealth, I would be honored to do so.
ULCG:
You mentioned your degrees from UofL. How have those been beneficial to you and your career?
Daniel Cameron:
I’ve always had an interest in government and politics, so my political science degree helped me understand the historical context of how our government originated. It helps me think through government structures and how they can best serve people in the Commonwealth. In my judgment, the least amount of government is often better for people in Kentucky, and I’ll continue to advocate for that.
Law school gave me the opportunity to pursue my career, whether clerking for a federal judge, working in private practice, or serving as Attorney General of Kentucky. None of that would have been possible without the law degree I received from the University of Louisville.
Just as important as the degrees are the relationships I built. You come away with lifelong friends and people who care deeply about you—faculty, administrators, and peers. Those relationships are long-lasting and part of who I am.
ULCG:
Do you feel Congress should have a say in the NIL landscape, and if so, how?
Daniel Cameron:
Steve, this is a great question. I’m an avid listener of the Tony Kornheiser podcast and, for some of your folks that don’t know him, Tony Kornheiser is part of the duo of Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon that do the show on ESPN called Pardon the Interruption, and probably over the last several months now, this has been a frequent topic. College athletics and NIL are the Wild West right now. There’s excitement, but also anxiety about what this will look like four or five years from now.
We’re seeing discussions about athletes staying in college for extended periods or even returning if a pro career doesn’t work out. I understand that NIL is important—athletes help generate a lot of revenue for universities, and they should be able to benefit from their name and likeness.
What we don’t want is confusion—universities suing athletes, athletes suing universities, and a lack of clarity. At some point, that becomes untenable. Congress may have to look at whether states should oversee this or whether federal action is needed.
I want to be part of that conversation. Having played college athletics, I bring a unique perspective, and I think this issue will ultimately be a part of the decision-making in Congress.
ULCG:
Do you have a response to the Kentucky legislature ending DEI programs at state universities?
Daniel Cameron:
Yeah, I’ve got a one word response and that’s “good”. I tell people all the time that we don’t need a country that’s building diversity, equity, and inclusion. We need a country that’s built on merit excellence, intelligence and integrity and what the legislature has done is prioritize merit, excellence, intelligence, and integrity over the color of someone’s skin and it’s really important in my judgment. I think the majority of Kentuckians want that we leave to our our kids and our grandkids a country that is colorblind, that is focused on talent, skill, character. It doesn’t matter what color, what matters is your heart and your drive and your perseverance and your determination and I think our legislature set out a framework from which that can be the way in which our Commonwealth proceeds and I’m glad they did it. A lot of the good work that the Trump Administration has done in Washington ensures that our government agencies are focused on hiring the people based on talent, based on integrity, based on character and I think those are more important than what you look like.
ULCG:
If you’re a conservative, why should a liberal consider voting for you?
Daniel Cameron:
What I tell people all the time are the issues that I’m talking about daily: the economy, energy independence, coal, natural gas, a world in which we do have responsible nuclear. Those are things that don’t have an R or D by them. Those are issues that folks care about. Simply because they care about putting food on the table for their kids, ensuring that they have gas for their vehicles and if there’s a little left over, they can pay for summer leagues for their kids, so those don’t have political affiliations or designations. I want be a senator that’s working hard for folks all across this Commonwealth, standing firm for our values and ensuring that are people have the conditions in Washington that allow them to thrive here at home. That’s what I’m focused on because I’ve got a vested interest. We’ve got two boys now, we got one on the way. We want to see them grow up and do well here in Kentucky, and part of that is creating the conditions in Washington that allow them to thrive and if I can help do that, to help lower taxes, help ensure that Kentucky plays a meaningful role in the economic prosperity of the future, then I’m going to do my do my best to ensure that and it doesn’t have anything to do with your political affiliation.
Question:
How would you help small businesses in Kentucky if elected senator?
Daniel Cameron:
Our priority has to be, in my judgment, not big business, but the small, every day Mom and Pop shops that really employ the vast number of people across this Commonwealth and in this country. My parents owned a small business. It was a coffee shop in Elizabethtown, and I saw the struggles day in and out that they had in that business. There were good times and they were lean times, and ultimately, they closed that shop down after about a 16 or 17 year run, but it was a relationship builder in the community, meaning that you know people from all walks of life came into that business and it felt like it was a meeting spot for folks that is replicated all across this Commonwealth and all across this country. You need somebody that’s going to prioritize them and I think this is happening a lot with the Trump Administration. They’re focusing on the small mom and pops over the large industries and I certainly want to be a senator that is focused on it. We can set the conditions again for the small businesses to thrive working closely with the Small Business Administration. Kelly Leffler is a good friend of mine and she’s got a deputy there that I worked closely in the past, Paul Fitzpatrick, and so I know and have a relationship within that administration to make sure that the SBA is focused on Kentucky and helping our small businesses here because again, as a priority, we need to be prioritizing these mountain pops over big business. Regardless of what administrations exist, you know big business is going to do their thing, but we’vr got to have someone that’s looking out for our small banks, our small businesses, our community banks, and I want to be a senator that does that.
Question:
After your election, will you make appearances to UofL basketball and football games i.e. Jack Harlow, Jennifer Lawrence, I think Senator McConnell showed up every now and then. Will we see your face on camera?
Daniel Cameron:
I don’t have the celebrity of Jack Harlow or Jennifer Lawrence, but I’ll certainly be at games. My mom is a season ticket holder, and I played football at UofL, so I certainly will attend games and I’ve always said I want to be helpful, and whatever that looks like, I’m happy to do it. But, on game day, the focus should be on the players and the school, not on someone sitting in the stands, but I’ll be there rooting on the Cards.
Audio file of interview: https://on.soundcloud.com/mOpj7x4NmMsSK3FdeS