Tea Party Has Been AWOL For Phil Moffett's Campaign Coffers.

Tea party ties don't help Moffett financially
By ROGER ALFORD

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Moffett has been unable to tap the national tea party for financial support, leaving his campaign bank account nearly empty at a time when he needs to be running television advertising.

The Louisville businessman filed a mandatory report with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance on Wednesday showing he had banked just more than $100,000 since entering the race last year, a tiny sum compared to his chief opponent, state Senate President David Williams, who reported $1.2 million in contributions.

Moffett, a first-time candidate, had hoped for the same kind of financial support from outside Kentucky that fueled tea party darling Rand Paul's U.S. Senate campaign last year. But even the Internet fundraisers that had filled the coffers of Paul and other tea party candidates fell flat for Moffett.

"I think it's harder for the national groups to get emotionally invested in state races," he said Thursday. "I think that's the biggest obstacle to overcome."

In the financial report, Moffett said he had raised some $58,000 over the past three months. But, after expenses, he had little more than $11,000 in the bank and nearly $28,000 in debts with just weeks remaining before the May 17 primary.

Williams has raised more than $1.2 million for his GOP primary race, including $446,000 in the past three months, according to his campaign finance report.

The report showed the Williams campaign still has $670,000 in the bank after expenses. He expanded what had been a limited advertising campaign on radio and cable on Thursday to include local network television stations in Bowling Green, Lexington and Louisville. The ad buy was estimated at about $100,000.

Williams appears in the ad with running mate Richie Farmer, a former University of Kentucky basketball star who was heavily recruited to run with Williams. Farmer, whose wife filed for divorce in the midst of the campaign, has otherwise kept a low profile, skipping many of the political events that the other candidates attend.

Williams, Moffett and Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw are seeking the GOP nomination and the right to run against Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear in the fall general election. Holsclaw reported having raised $22,000 for her campaign.

Although Williams is the leading GOP fundraiser, his total is dwarfed by the $4.8 million Beshear has banked since kicking off his re-election campaign.

Beshear raised $1.27 million in the past three months alone, according to his campaign finance report. That report showed he still has about $3.3 million in the bank.