Top GOP contender in tight governor's race took money from pro-ESG companies despite pledge against policy

close

Video

Biden has surrendered his presidency to the woke policies of the far-left: Daniel Cameron

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron responds to President Biden saying White people still want to lynch Black people and shares why he is running for governor on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

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.

KENTUCKY GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATES SIGN ANTI-CRT PLEDGE, FOLLOWING EDUCATION LEAD BY NOEM, YOUNGKIN

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a press conference to announce a grand jury's decision to indict one of three Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor on September 23, 2020, in Frankfort, Kentucky.  (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

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.

CONTENTIOUS GOVERNOR'S RACE GOES NATIONAL AS CRUZ BACKS FORMER UN AMBASSADOR KELLY CRAFT

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles (left), Attorney General Daniel Cameron (middle) and former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft (right) will face off in the Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. (Getty/Reuters)

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. 

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear delivers his State of the Commonwealth speech in front of a joint session of the legislature from the floor of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Jan. 4, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky.  (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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.