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 endorsed, according to reports the PAC has filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Its largest contribution so far was also its most recent — $12,800 donated on June 20 to NC Democratic Leadership Committee of Raleigh, North Carolina. In the spring, In This Together endorsed North Carolina’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein’s campaign for governor, and this donation apparently is intended to help that campaign.
Previously, In This Together reported giving $6,600 to Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana; $3,300 to an Ohio committee supporting Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s reelection campaign; and $2,100 to Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Pamela Goodwine’s campaign for Kentucky Supreme Court.
In This Together has reported spending about $107,000 in operating expenses during its first six months — more than four times the amount of its donations. These expenses are for strategy consultants, fundraising consultants, a compliance consultant, legal fees, bank fees, credit card processing fees, and costs for running a website.
Most of what the PAC has collected — about $361,000 — remains as cash on hand as of June 30.
Eric Hyers, the PAC’s political strategist who managed Beshear’s successful campaigns for governor in 2019 and 2023, said that from the start the PAC intended to wait until the fall to do most of its spending to help its endorsed candidates in Kentucky and across America. And Hyers said that the PAC will be supporting its endorsed candidates more in the form of independent expenditures than in direct donations to the candidates’ campaigns.
He also said future expenses of the PAC will show travel costs for Beshear to campaign in-person for his endorsed candidates. (So far the PAC has reported spending no money for Beshear travel expenses.)
Hyers said he’s satisfied with the fundraising amount so far. “Fundraising has gone well so far,” he said, adding that he expects to report larger fundraising numbers in the coming months.
Beshear, who cannot seek a third term as governor, created In This Together on Jan. 7. The PAC’s website says it “will support good people and good candidates running for local, statewide, and federal office in red or purple states who demonstrate a commitment to leading with empathy and compassion and the backbone to always do what’s right, regardless of politics.”
It is only half of Beshear’s post reelection personal political operation. The other half is an organization called Heckbent Inc. Unlike In This Together which must report its donations and expenses to the FEC, Heckbent is a “dark money” group — a 501 (c)(4) committee which does not disclose names of donors. According to its website, Heckbent’s purpose is to advance Beshear’s policy agenda in Kentucky.
Beshear is widely reported as one of several Democratic leaders across the country being considered by Vice President Kamala Harris — the all-but-official Democratic presidential nominee in the wake of President Joe Biden’s sudden exit from the race — as her running mate. It’s unclear what happens with In This Together and Heckbent if Harris picks Beshear.
The donors
Here’s a look at who has provided the big dollars so far to In This Together
A Louisville company called Freedom Senior Share LLC made the single largest donation to In This Together — $25,000 on June 28. Freedom Senior Share LLC operates under an assumed name of Freedom Adult Day Healthcare and its website says its purpose is to provide “essential in-home care services as a great alternative to traditional nursing homes.”
Earlier this year, Nachiketa Bhatt, identified in a report filed by In This Together as the managing member of Freedom Adult Day Healthcare, donated $5,000 to In This Together. Bhatt was a major contributor to committees supporting Beshear’s reelection as governor and has been a donor to both Republican and Democratic candidates for the state legislature from Jefferson County.
In February a political action committee based in Louisville called BlueWaveAmerica made a $20,000 contribution to In This Together. The PAC, based in Louisville and headed by Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mike Ward, has a goal of electing Democrats in rural America with a focus on red and purple states.
In June, a group of Nashville-area donors (12 people and one PAC) gave a combined $32,000. The Courier Journal recently reported that in June Beshear spoke in Nashville at a “Championing Reproductive Freedom” event.
Twenty-five attorneys with the law firm Frost Brown Todd – most of them from the firm’s Louisville office – combined to give $23,650 to In This Together between mid-May and early June.
And Edward Britt Brockman, a big political donor to Beshear’s committees and a Beshear appointee to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, is listed by In This Together as giving $10,000 in June.
Here are other big donors. Each is listed by In This Together as having given $5,000:
- William Grover Arnett, Salyersville, attorney
- Lawrence Benz, Louisville
- Jane Beshear, Lexington
- Steve Beshear, Lexington, attorney
- Campbell Brown, Louisville, chairman, Brown-Forman
- Sherman Brown, Louisville, government relations, McCarthy Strategic Solutions
- Gregory Bubalo, Louisville, attorney
- William Butler, Covington, CEO, Corporex
- John Dant, Nashville, president, Log Still Distillery
- Ruth Day, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, CIO for Kentucky state government
- Christopher Dischinger, Louisville, developer, LDG Inc.
- Lisa Dischinger, Louisville, real estate, LDG Inc.
- John Dougherty, Louisville
- Michael Dudgeon, Midway, owner, Milan Farm LLC
- Joe Ellis, Benton, optometrist, Clarkson Eyecare
- Frank Garrison, Nashville
- Ben Gastel, Nashville, lawyer, HSG Law
- Patrick Gaunce, Glasgow
- Leslie Geoghegan, Louisville, civic volunteer
- Ron Geoghegan, Louisville, McCarthy Strategic Solutions
- Gloria for Tennessee, Nashville, TN
- Jonathan Goldberg, Louisville, attorney, Goldberg & Simpson
- Jim Gray, Lexington
- Scott Hagan, Louisville, developer, Hagan Properties
- Walter Halbleib, Louisville, lawyer, Stites and Harbison
- Judith Hanekamp, Masonic Home
- Chauncey Hiestand, Louisville, attorney, Winton and Hiestand Law Group
- Carrie Hieistand, Louisville
- William Hodgkin, Winchester
- Kentucky Bankers Assn. PAC, Louisville, $5,000
- Jonathan Krebs, Hattiesburg, MS, partner, Horne
- Franklin Lassiter, Midway, HealthTech Solutions
- Adam Levin, Brentwood, Tennessee, entrepreneur
- James R. Martin, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, retired
- Michael McGhee, Elkton, president, McGhee Engineering
- Jonathan Miller, Lexington, attorney, Frost Brown Todd
- McKinnley Morgan, London, attorney, Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer
- Keith L. Murt Sr., Paducah, owner, Murtco Inc.
- Charlie O’Connor, Versailles, sales, Ashford
- Joseph Prather, Louisville, chief medical officer, Baptist Health
- Jay Pritzker, Chicago, IL, governor of Illinois
- Jonathan Rabinowitz, Versailles, attorney, Morgan and Morgan
- Nathan Smith, Ft. Mitchell, CIO, Flagship Communities
- Anna Stroble, Ridgeland, Mississippi, partner, Horne
- Mark Swartz, Winchester, contractor, Swartz Enterprises
- Mike Swartz, Olympia, owner, Mike Swartz Enterprises
- Ron Winchell, Las Vegas, Nevada, hospitality, ECL
- Jeremy Winton, Louisville
- David Whitehouse, Lexington
- Bill Wolfe, West Palm Beach, Florida, executive, First Washington Realty
- Mark Workman, Paducah, engineer, Bacon Farmer Workman Engineering
- Kelly Workman, Paducah
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Written by Tom Loftus. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
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