Author
Tom Loftus
Kentucky Republicans celebrate ‘house that Mitch built’ with a little help from some big donors
FRANKFORT — What speakers hailed as “the house that Mitch built” will be doubling in size? — thanks to more than $3 million from special interest donors and a change of state law in 2017 that legalized such donations. A slew of prominent Kentucky Republicans joined U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to break ground […]
Beshear’s PAC raised $200,000-plus in July
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear’s political action committee had a solid, though hardly spectacular, month of fundraising in July — a month that ended with Beshear still under consideration as a possible running mate by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Beshear’s PAC, called In This Together, reported to the Federal Election Commission this week that […]
Kentucky appeals court rejects AG’s efforts to get employment records in abortion case
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Court of Appeals has rejected efforts by the office of the state Attorney General to use a Franklin County grand jury subpoena to get employment records in a case that appears to involve two University of Louisville physicians who performed abortions at EMW Women’s Surgical Center and trained residents at the […]
London Mayor Weddle, other Kentuckians still giving big to Democratic Governors Association
London Mayor Randall Weddle, currently under the scrutiny of Kentucky campaign finance regulators for excess contributions to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s 2023 reelection efforts, is continuing to make hefty political contributions. Weddle donated $75,000 on May 1 to the Democratic Governors Association, according to a disclosure that the DGA filed recently with the Internal Revenue […]
Lawmakers join KY’s largest addiction treatment provider to oppose Medicaid payment cuts
FRANKFORT — The state’s largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment is warning that looming cuts in Medicaid reimbursement to some providers could damage efforts to curb addiction that has engulfed Kentucky — just as the state is showing improvements. “Kentucky has made significant strides in access to treatment,” Matt Brown, chief administrative officer for […]
Beshear’s PAC has raised $493,000, but given little so far to help other candidates
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear’s political action committee raised $493,000 in its first six months, but so far it has made few contributions to fulfill its purpose of helping “good people” win closely-contested elections across the country. Through June 30 the Beshear PAC, named In This Together, has donated only $24,800 to candidates it has […]
KY Republican HQ building fund tops $3.2 million, most from corporations with lobbying interests
FRANKFORT? – The Republican Party of Kentucky Building Fund raised another $314,750 in the past three months for its project to expand its state headquarters known as the “Mitch McConnell Building.” This brings the total raised for the project to more than $3.2 million, with the vast majority of that coming in large contributions from […]
Recovery CEO gives big to support Democrat Beshear and a host of Republicans
FRANKFORT — In his State of the Commonwealth speech in January, Gov. Andy Beshear took a moment to address the scourge of addiction in Kentucky, singling out for praise the state’s largest provider of treatment services. Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, the Eastern Kentucky-based company — with about 75% of the state’s treatment beds — […]
Plans advance for corporate-funded expansion of Kentucky Republican Party headquarters
FRANKFORT — The Republican Party of Kentucky plans to expand its headquarters in Frankfort by adding a 6,800 square foot building designed to look like a “separate residential structure.” The new building will be built on a vacant lot adjacent to the current headquarters at Third Street and Capital Avenue. In addition to new office […]
Power plant debate helps push lobby spending to new high for Kentucky legislature
FRANKFORT — Legislation affecting power plant retirements helped drive spending to lobby the Kentucky legislature to a new high of $12.4 million during the 2024 session. A bill that created new hurdles for utilities that want to retire power plants fired by fossil fuels spurred investor-owned utilities and power cooperatives to spend much more than […]
Unopposed, Stivers dips into stuffed war chest to boost Republicans, entertain supporters
FRANKFORT — Since no one challenged him for reelection this year, Senate President Robert Stivers has used his overstuffed campaign fund as a sort of personal political action committee that makes political contributions of its own and has paid other expenses including nearly $10,000 for a dinner party to thank his donors and supporters at […]
Governor’s Derby guests?
FRANKFORT —? Unlike his predecessors, Gov. Andy Beshear has declined to identify friends and political supporters who buy prime tickets to the Kentucky Derby made available by Churchill Downs each year for the governor’s guests. The Louisville racetrack sets aside large numbers of Derby tickets for sale at face value to Kentucky elected officials, including […]