Craft loaned self $7 million, other KY GOP governor candidates raised steady in first quarter

There’s a lot of money in the 2023 GOP gubernatorial primary for Kentucky governor. Most of it comes from Kelly Craft.

Craft, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Canada, has loaned herself more than $7 million in her bid for governor this year, according to figures posted to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance for the first quarter of this year. Commonwealth PAC, a group supporting Craft’s bid for governor, has been primarily bankrolled by Craft’s husband Joe, a billionaire coal magnate and philanthropist, who gave it $1.5 million.

Her campaign has spent more than $8.15 million, dwarfing all competition in the crowded and contentious Republican primary.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who was up on Craft by 6 percentage points in a recent poll, reported first quarter figures that keep pace with his previous fundraising. Cameron posted $403,520, pushing his campaign’s total raised figure to $1.37 million. His campaign has more than $593,000 on hand now.

Cameron has a PAC supporting him as well, which has raised a similar amount of money as Commonwealth PAC. Bluegrass Freedom Action has been mostly supported by The Concord Fund, a conservative “dark money” group that has attempted to reshape America’s courts.

Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles has been raising at a somewhat slower clip, but has a larger amount of cash on hand because his team has spent the least of any major candidate thus far. Quarles, who tallied 15% support to Cameron’s 30% and Craft’s 24% in the latest poll, raised close to $273,000 this quarter to lift his total raised figure to $1.2 million. The Quarles campaign has $903,000 on hand.

Eric Deters, a retired attorney from Northern Kentucky known for his bombast and controversy, raised almost $600,000 this quarter, with around $568,000 coming from his own pocketbook. Deters was polling in a clear fourth place at 6% in the Emerson poll.

Craft’s sizable personal contribution pushes her total raised figure to $8.56 million. Her campaign spent around $7.06 million this quarter, more than $5 million going to Axiom Strategies and its media buying division. Craft currently has $438,000 on hand.

Somerset Mayor Alan Keck has raised a total of about $312,000, posting a quarter of $107,000 in campaign receipts. His team has spent most of it, leaving Keck with around $54,000 on hand with less than 30 days until the election.

Auditor Mike Harmon, who was the first to publicly announce his campaign for governor, raised nearly $16,000 in the quarter, keeping up a relatively sclerotic fundraising performance over the course of the campaign.

In the Emerson & Fox56 poll, which had a margin of error of 3.2%, Harmon got 1.7% and Keck garnered just 0.6%. Keck’s poll number was lower than David Cooper, a Northern Kentuckian who has raised around $8,000 in the race.

Beshear still raising money

While the battle for the GOP nomination rages on, Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign announced Tuesday it has now raised a total of $6.6 million for his reelection battle. It added more than $1.4 million to its war chest this quarter, leaving it with $5.9 million on hand, per a press release.

Beshear campaign manager Eric Hyers boasted in a statement that Beshear’s popularity among Kentuckians, backed up by available public polling, shows he’s well-poised to win reelection.

“Governor Beshear has worked hard to grow the economy and deliver on promises like the Brent Spence Bridge project – with no tolls – all while leading with compassion and a focus on doing what’s right,” Hyers said. “While GOP candidates attack one another in an increasingly nasty primary, Democrats, independents and many Republicans are coming together to support the governor’s reelection bid so he can keep working to improve the lives of all Kentuckians.”

The PACs

Bluegrass Freedom Action, the PAC backing Cameron, is mostly supported by the Concord Fund via $1.5 million in contributions out of its $1.9 million total.

Other notable names on the list of contributors include former businesswoman and U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia Kelly Loeffler.

The PAC has also received at least $100,000 from Pace-o-Matic, the largest operator of so-called “gray machines” in Kentucky. A bill passed by the General Assembly this year banned the machines from the state, leaving Cameron’s office to defend a challenge against it brought forth by Pace-o-Matic and other companies.

Commonwealth PAC, the one supporting Craft, is almost entirely supported by the coal industry, including Craft’s husband Joe who owns Alliance Coal via his “JWC III Revocable Trust.”

The trust chipped in $1.5 million of the PAC’s just over $1.8 million raised. Other large contributions include $100,000 from a land company owned by a coal executive and $50,000 from a coal operator in Pittsburgh as well as another $50,000 from an executive with Alliance Coal.

Barbara Banke, the owner of Kendall-Jackson Wine and a local horse farm owner, also contributed $50,000.

Diving into the reports

Cameron garnered donations from notable politicos in-state and elsewhere this quarter. Henry Perot III, the grandson of billionaire former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, gave Cameron the maximum $2,000 contribution.

Hal Heiner, a self-funded businessman who finished in third in a tight race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2015, gave Cameron $1,005 this quarter.

Cameron also received a donation from Rep. John Hodgson, R-Fisherville, a former member of ex-governor Matt Bevin’s cabinet, and Rep. Mary Beth Imes, R-Murray, who previously gave the same amount to Quarles’ gubernatorial campaign.

About $258,000 of Cameron’s fundraising efforts this quarter come from individuals in Kentucky, and 882 out of 1,029 total contributions were from addresses in the Commonwealth

One of the most notable names on the fundraising reports of GOP candidates is U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, who contributed the maximum $2,000 amount to Craft’s campaign. Scott has feuded with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, one of the most influential political figures in the Commonwealth’s history. Following the 2022 midterms, Scott unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for his leadership post.

Scott has been a major player in Washington since his 2018 election to the office, selected chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2021.

In Kentucky, Craft received contributions from one of the biggest names in horse racing: Bill Carstanjen, the CEO of Churchill Downs. Carstanjen and his wife both contributed the maximum amount to Craft’s campaign. The Carstanjens comprised two of 394 contributions this quarter.

Quarles finance report saw the highest percentage of Kentuckians contributing – 437 of 466.

His campaign received a maximum contribution from Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, and got a $250 bump from Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown. Thayer has given a total of $500 to Quarles’ campaign and $250 to Craft.

Keck got a notable contribution from Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, who gave $1,000. Doan, a freshman, became an unlikely major player this session when his motion to set aside a priority bill banning so-called “gray machines” from Kentucky succeeded. The bill was later revived, and Doan was unceremoniously kicked off of two committees by House GOP leadership in the final hour of session.