Prominent KY political donors Kelly, Joe Craft will lead national GOP fundraising effort

The Republican National Committee has named Lexington’s Kelly and Joe Craft as co-chairs of the national party’s effort to raise money for the eventual Republican presidential nominee in 2024.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced the move in a statement released Tuesday. Politico described the group the Crafts are chairing, the RNC’s Presidential Trust, as “a project the RNC organizes each election year in an effort to raise money to support the eventual GOP presidential nominee.”

The couple is opening the trust with an $826,000 donation between the two, which is a maximum donation, according to Kristen Branscum, Kelly Craft’s chief of staff.

Joe Craft, a native of Hazard, is a longtime coal magnate, local philanthropist and GOP megadonor in national circles. He leads Alliance Resource Partners, a natural resource company that touts itself as the “largest coal producer in the Eastern U.S.”

He’s married to Kelly Craft, a Kentuckian who finished in third place behind former commissioner of agriculture Ryan Quarles and former attorney general Daniel Cameron in last year’s Republican gubernatorial primary. She served as ambassador to Canada and then U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump.

In a statement posted to the GOP’s website, Kelly and Joe Craft said the U.S. was “at a critical point in history where it is necessary for conservative leadership to return to the White House” and Congress.

“Preserving the American Dream for all and strengthening our nation’s security is dependent upon Republican victories in the fall,” the Crafts said in their statement. “We are honored to co-chair the Presidential Trust to ensure the integrity of our elections and to bolster a nationwide infrastructure for Republican candidates.”

Like her husband, Kelly Craft has a long history of donating and fundraising for candidates, including Trump in 2016 and 2020, and former GOP Gov. Matt Bevin, among others.

Notably, Trump endorsed Cameron in the crowded Kentucky primary last year. He made the initial endorsement before Craft officially entered the race, but stuck to Cameron all the way to his eventual 5-percentage-point loss to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

Trump is currently the front-runner in a 2024 Republican presidential field that has winnowed to two: only former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who preceded Craft in her United Nations role under the Trump administration, is left against Trump.

According to publicly available donor records with the Federal Election Commission, the Crafts previously gave to multiple Republican presidential candidates but had yet to donate to Trump’s campaign as of Sep. 30, 2023, the most recent date donor disclosures posted.