Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a conservative Republican and rising star within the party, is vowing to stand against the "excesses of the Biden administration" in his quest to unseat vulnerable Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in this year's gubernatorial election.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Cameron touted his record fighting against the fentanyl crisis plaguing the state and Democrats' controversial vaccine mandates, as well as his opposition to Biden's environmental policies, arguing it was proof he was the "best option" of the 12 Republican candidates vying for the party's nomination to take on Beshear.

"Well, I'm the best option because I fully believe that the proof is in the pudding," Cameron told Fox. "We have done our job without fear or favor over these last three years. We've stood up to the Biden administration when it came to the vaccine mandates that they were trying to force on the states."

"We stood up for energy industry and asking the Biden administration to label fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, we've asked for the border to be secured, I've held companies accountable for the opioid epidemic and bringing over $800 million to the Commonwealth, and of course, we continue to fight to stand up for the constitutional values of our citizens," he added.

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The crowded field of Republicans facing Cameron includes former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft, state auditor Mike Harmon and Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles. 

Cameron was among the first of the candidates to jump into the race last May, and said his decision to do so was driven by his view Kentucky needed a governor that "says yes" to its citizens.

"My wife and I fully believe in the work that we've done over these last three years to stand up for conservative values and constitutional rights and principles," he said. "We think Kentucky needs a governor that not only says yes to economic development and says yes to helping people in the midst of a pandemic or a crisis, flooding or tornadoes, but also says yes to the shared values of the men, women and children of all 120 counties."

"That's what we've been doing over these last three years, is standing up for those shared values. And we need to restore common sense and fair play to our governor's office. And that's what I'm going to do," he added.

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Cameron has been sharply critical of Biden's environmental policies, including what he says is the overregulation of air quality standards and efforts to limit domestic energy production amidst the rising cost of energy.

He has also firmly pushed back on Beshear's approach to a number of issues he says do not reflect the values of everyday Kentuckians, including on the state's energy industry, the coronavirus pandemic, and standing up for law enforcement. He vowed such areas would be the first he would take action on should he win in November.

"The first action that I would take is to make sure that you have a governor that is going to, again, stand up for those constitutional rights. You're going to have a governor that is going to stand up and support the men and women of our law enforcement community. You're going to have a governor that is going to use the bully pulpit of the governor's office to make sure that we are standing up to the excesses of the Biden administration," he said.

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"You're also going to have a governor that respects and shares your values, not a governor that's going to shut down churches or small businesses, not a governor that is going to sit idly by as a Department of Justice labels parents domestic terrorists," Cameron said. "You're not going to have a governor that allows for our coal and natural gas industry to be talked bad about and denigrated by the Biden administration that wants to destroy it. You're going to have, again, a governor that's going to stand up for the values of the commonwealth."

Cameron will face his opponents in the Republican primary scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, when the winner will likely face Beshear in the November general election should he win the Democratic primary.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's reelection team reportedly asked Chicago Public Schools teachers to encourage students to volunteer for her campaign by offering scholastic credit as an incentive.

Megan Crane, who is listed on LinkedIn as the deputy campaign manager on Lightfoot's reelection team, reportedly made the request in an email to Chicago Public Schools teachers on Wednesday which was sent to their official work inboxes, WTTW News reported.

In a copy of the email shared with the outlet, Crane reportedly noted that students who participate in the "externship program" must contribute 12 hours per week to the Lightfoot campaign to qualify for "class credit."

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"We’re simply looking for enthusiastic, curious and hard-working young people eager to help Mayor Lightfoot win this spring," the email reportedly said.

When contacted for comment by the outlet, a spokesperson for the mayor's campaign defended the email as part of an initiative "to provide young people with the opportunity to engage with our campaign, learn more about the importance of civic engagement and participate in the most American of processes" and "done using publicly available contact information."

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates reportedly denounced the email as "unethical," telling WTTW News that she worried teachers who refused to relay the message to students could face retaliation from the mayor's office.

Lawyers for the union also reportedly believe that the request violated Chicago’s ethics ordinance prohibits the use of public resources, including email accounts, for non-official purposes, the outlet reported.

Last year, Davis Gates publicly scolded the controversial mayor as a "one-woman kamikaze" who is "unfit to lead this city" after the union reached a tentative agreement with Lightfoot's office which will allow schools to return to remote learning if 25% of staff test positive for COVID-19.

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A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson told WTTW News that the district will reject the request as it "does not coordinate with any political candidates or campaigns. It has not done so to date and will not be doing so."

Nine candidates are vying to unseat Lightfoot next month as she battles to win a second term as mayor of the ‘Windy City.’ Throughout her term as mayor, Lightfoot has attracted staunch criticism from both sides of the aisle with Republicans and Democrats alike blasting her policies. 

Under her leadership, crime in Chicago has skyrocketed since the Black Lives Matter riots and her defund the police rhetoric of 2020 began. Lightfoot pledged not to give interviews to White reporters, and has become known for questionable videos that have gone viral. 

The first round of the election is slated for Feb. 28. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote in that election, then the top-two candidates would advance to a run-off, scheduled for April 4.

The teachers’ union has reportedly endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson to replace Lightfoot. 

Fox News' Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.