Kelly Craft narrows Ryan Quarles' fundraising lead among Kentucky GOP governor candidates

Ryan Quarles maintains his fundraising lead over the other Republican candidates running for governor of Kentucky in 2023, though Kelly Craft has now vaulted into a close second — despite being in the race for less than a month.

With another $300,000 raised in the third quarter, the campaign of Quarles — the state's Agriculture commissioner — has now raised $875,727 since entering the race May 1.

However, Craft is nipping at Quarles heels in fundraising, picking up $751,597 in contributions since entering the race Sept. 7.

Craft, who was United Nations ambassador under former President Donald Trump, pulled in the haul without any personal loans to her campaign — which many expect her to eventually do, considering she and her coal magnate husband Joe Craft are billionaires.

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In a press release, Craft's campaign said she set a fundraising record for "any Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate in less than one month," which is "demonstrative of how our movement to restore Kentucky’s promise is rapidly expanding."

Craft and her husband each contributed $2,000 to her campaign, while she also reported giving nearly $31,000 of in-kind contributions to her campaign, mostly picking up travel expenses.

Despite his campaign's endorsement from Trump shortly after he entered the race in late May, Attorney General Daniel Cameron is now third in fundraising behind Craft, raising another $407,757 in the quarter to bring his total campaign haul to $708,287.

The campaign of state Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, picked up just more than $100,000 for the second consecutive quarter, bringing her total amount raised to $210,795.

Suspended Northern Kentucky attorney Eric Deters loaned his campaign another $15,000 this quarter, bringing his total contributions since launching his campaign last November to $94,670 — nearly two-thirds of which were personal loans. Unlike the other GOP candidates, Deters' campaign has already spent most of its funds, leaving it with just more than $8,000 on hand.

State Auditor Mike Harmon is now in sixth place in fundraising among the GOP candidates, despite joining the race in summer 2021, having received $64,919 since then — including personal loans of more than $7,000.

Five other Republicans who are so far running limited campaigns for governor have either reported raising a few thousand dollars or none at all.

Beshear fundraising surpasses $4.5 million

While the Republican candidates amass a war chest for next May's primary, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, their likely opponent next fall, continues extending his fundraising lead among all candidates.

Beshear reported raising more than $1 million for the fourth consecutive quarter, having now raised more than $4.5 million since he announced he was running for reelection last fall.

The governor is not expected to face any formidable challenger in the Democratic primary, which would allow him to hold on to much of these funds for the general election.

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Polls over the past year have shown Beshear with an approval rating hovering near 60%, though Kentucky voters have increasing voted Republican in statewide elections over the past decade.

In a campaign press release announcing his new fundraising numbers, Beshear said he is "honored by the confidence Kentuckians continue to show in the work we are doing every day to make the lives of our people better."

"With record new job announcements and a strong-and-getting-stronger economy, we’ve made it through some tough times and are now in a position to thrive," Beshear stated. "It is heart-warming to see folks from across the state pitch in to keep Kentucky moving forward."

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Downballot fundraising

Among the declared candidates in the other five statewide races next year, the only Republican candidate to announce a run for attorney general so far has racked up the largest fundraising total.

Former federal prosecutor Russell Coleman reported receiving another $139,730 in contributions this past quarter, raising his campaign total to $483,005. No other candidate in either party has announced a run for the seat.

In the race to replace Quarles as agriculture commissioner, Republican Jonathan Shell has extended his fundraising lead over state Rep. Richard Heath, R-Mayfield, raising six times the amount of his only declared opponent.

Shell raised another $77,900 to bring his campaign total to just shy of $300,000, while Heath has raised $45,750 since announcing his candidacy in summer 2021.

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Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams reported raising $143,383 since he announced he would run for reelection in August, the bulk of which was a personal $100,000 loan.

Allen Miracle, a Republican who is Adams' only declared opponent, reported raising and spending no money since announcing his candidacy in August.

In the race for state auditor, Democratic candidate Kimberley Reeder jumped out to an early fundraising lead over Republican Allison Ball, who is in her second term as state treasurer.

Reeder, a tax attorney, reported raising $28,270 since entering the race in August, while Ball reported $23,855 in contributions since she announced her candidacy in July.

Andrew Cooperrider, a Republican who lost a high-profile primary in a state Senate race in May, is the only person to declare candidacy for state treasurer. He reported raising $26,340 in the third quarter.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KY governor race: Kelly Craft narrows Ryan Quarles' fundraising lead