Large corporate donations back Kentucky GOP building fund

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Republican Party stockpiled more than $1.7 million for its building fund, paced by a $1 million contribution from a pharmaceutical giant, as the state’s dominant political party accumulates money to expand its headquarters, according to a finance report.

The $1 million donation from Pfizer topped a series of corporate contributions totaling $1.65 million in the last three months of 2022, the report filed recently with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance showed. The Kentucky Lantern first reported on the contributions.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. contributed $300,000 to the fund, while contributions of $100,000 apiece came from Altria Client Services LLC, Comcast Corp. and AT&T, the report showed.

Under state law, funds raised for a political party’s building account may be used for expenditures related to the “purchase, construction, maintenance, renovation and repair of the state executive committee’s main headquarters.” The funds aren’t eligible to be spent on candidate or issue advocacy.

The fundraising comes amid expansion plans for the GOP’s state headquarters in Frankfort. The Republican Party previously purchased the lot next door to its headquarters.

“With the growth of the Republican Party in Kentucky, we have a need for additional space,” the state GOP said in a statement Tuesday.