Rocky Adkins, a former senior adviser to Gov. Andy Beshear, speaks to reporters after launching his 2027 bid for governor. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
Rocky Adkins, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in Kentucky’s upcoming governor race, has raised more than $1.75 million in his first quarter.
A Kentucky Lantern review of the donors found backers to Adkins include former Democratic Gov. Paul Patton, former Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and members of the Lundergan family. Patriarch Jerry Lundergan was convicted of providing illegal corporate donations to his daughter’s Senate campaign, former Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes. President Joe Biden pardoned him in 2025, shortly before leaving office.
Adkins, a former senior adviser to Gov. Andy Beshear and former state representative from Eastern Kentucky, announced he was running in late July.
“This campaign doesn’t belong to me; it belongs to the folks in every corner of Kentucky who keep this commonwealth running,” Adkins said in a statement. “I’m humbled by their support, and I’ll make them this promise: we’re going to win this race, and as governor I’ll fight for them every single day.”
Adkins’ campaign said donations came from more than 1,500 individuals between July and the end of September. The full report was available on the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance Thursday morning.
A Kentucky Lantern analysis of donors listed in Adkins’ report shows that the largest bundle of donations came from owners and employees of The Red Mile, a Lexington gambling hall and harness race track.
Eighteen donors connected to the Red Mile each gave the maximum of $3,500, which adds up to $63,000. Half of those donors are members of the Antonacci family, of Connecticut, which has deep roots in Kentucky harness racing and owns part of The Red Mile and have been major political donors to Kentucky candidates in recent years including Gov. Andy Beshear.
Adkins’ report says Patton, the former governor from Pikeville, gave Adkins $1,000; former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, of Louisville, gave $3,000; former House Speaker Greg Stumbo, of Lexington, gave $3,500. Calipari, who now coaches at the University of Arkansas, gave $3,500.
Jerry Lundergan, a former state representative and chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, donated $3,500, as did seven members of Lundergan’s immediate family, bringing the total to $28,000.
Among the Beshear supporters who gave big to Adkins in the recent quarter are University of Kentucky trustees. Seven trustees are listed in Adkins’ report, the largest donor being Todd Case, of Louisa. Case, his immediate family members and an employee of his company Todd Case Trucking, combined to give $17,500.
Other UK trustees who donated to Adkins are: Britt Brockman, Frank Shoop, Alex Boone, David Figg, Jane Greer, and Mitchel Denham. Together, the contributions from UK trustees and –- including their immediate family members –- add up to $40,500, according to Lantern’s analysis.
Another big Beshear backer who gave big to Adkins is Frank Lassiter, of Midway, a former official of the Kentucky Health and Family Services Cabinet and co-founder of a company called HealthTech Solutions, which is a technology consulting firm that holds contracts with the federal government and some states. He is the husband of Mary Lassiter, who was budget director and secretary of Gov. Steve Beshear’s executive cabinet.
The Lassiter family and others affiliated with HealthTech Solutions donated a combined $21,000 to Adkins.
An out-of-state health care technology firm called Kinetik also was a big donor to Adkins. Kinetik Chief Executive Sufian Chowdhury gave $3,500 to Adkins, as did seven others employed by Kinetik and their relatives. That adds up to $28,000.
Officials and employees of Pikeville Medical Center donated a combined total of $31,500 to Adkins. Appalachian Regional Healthcare employees combined to give at least $23,000.
And 10 officials of five highway contracting companies (The Allen Company, ATS Construction, Bizzack Construction, Gaddie-Shamrock LLC, and Walker Companies) each gave $3,500 for a total of $35,000. Each of those companies is – at least in part – headed by Steve Lawson, of Lexington, according to the state Highway Department’s website. Lawson himself, however, is not listed as an Adkins donor.
An updated finance report for another major Democrat in the race, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman was not immediately available online as of Friday morning. Her campaign previously reported it raised about $303,000 between late April through the end of June.
Beshear, who has won two terms in Kentucky, is term-limited from seeking the seat in 2027.
No prominent Republican candidates have launched a bid for governor yet. A rumored candidate, who is already receiving public support from top GOP officials, is U.S. Rep. James Comer from the 1st Congressional District. He is on the ballot for the House seat this November and has said he would make an announcement regarding the governorship after that election.
State law prevents federal candidates from directly moving their existing campaign accounts to a new account for a statewide race. As of Friday, Comer’s congressional campaign account had about $1.9 million. His challenger, Democrat John “Drew” Williams, reported about $119,000.
Courtesy of Kentucky Lantern
