Massie's campaign finances resemble an incumbent on cruise control

Republican congressional candidate Thomas Massie has dialed back his advertisting strategy to direct mail and Facebook ads so far this fall, while doling out $2,000 of his campaign funds to help GOP candidate Andy Barr in the neighboring district.

Massie, who is running for the open 4th Congressional District vacated by Geoff Davis, is taking a much different approach to the race against Democrat Bill Adkins than he did during the highly-charged seven-candidate Republican primary this spring.

By this point before the primary, he had been running TV ads and had appeared at many forums. This time, no ads yet and he has agreed to just one forum against Adkins — on KET next Monday.

The former Lewis County judge-executive is still bringing in campaign money at a good clip. He raised more than $250,000 from July 1 through Sept. 30. But he’s not even on pace to bring in the half-million dollars he did during the primary season. Still, he’s way ahead of Adkins.

__________ Raised 3rd Q _____ Election Total Raised ____$ On Hand

Massie ® ……. $253,250 …………. $728,296 …………… $195,308
Adkins (D) ……. $40,959 ……………. $76,249 …………….. $21,260

And some of the donors’ names hint at how the power structure in Washington views the race. Lobbyists Charles Grizzle ($2,000) and Billy Piper ($1,000) — the former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell — contributed to Massie.

Adkins’ biggest donors include two famous dads: Nick Clooney, the Democratic 4th District congressional candidate in 2004 and father of actor George Clooney ($250) and Thomas Conway, Louisville lawyer and father of Attorney General Jack Conway ($2,500).

Massie, meanwhile, received money from one of his former rivals from the primary, Oldham County developer Walt Schumm ($500). He also received checks from supporters of Alecia Webb-Edgington, who finished second to Massie in May. Kevin Sell, the 4th District GOP chairman and a friend of Webb-Edgington’s, gave $1,000, while Diane St. Onge, who will take over representing Webb-Edgington’s 63rd state House district, gave $500. Webb-Edgington did not give.

Most of the $127,853 Massie spent went to staff payroll, travel and direct mail printing and postage. But his campaign made 13 small expenditures for a total of $413.70 on Facebook ads. And the campaign wrote a $14,302 check to Liberty Political Solutions in New Hampshire for get-out-the-vote consulting, and another $650 for get-out-the-vote consulting to Fort Mitchell councilman Will Terwort, who ran unsuccessfully for the 23rd state Senate this spring.

Massie loaned his campaign $80,000 during the primary, which the campaign has not yet paid back.