Mitch McConnell helps Rand Paul start to build up RANDPAC's cash

For the first fundraiser for his new political action committee, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul turned to his fellow Kentucky Republican to headline the event and begin to build up money.

Paul started RANDPAC — which stands for Reinventing a New Direction — with Jesse Benton, Paul’s former campaign manager and Kevin Broghamer, a Northern Kentucky political consultant, in March.

And in its first report with the Federal Election Commission, RANDPAC raised $68,273 dollars, buoyed by an event on June 28 that listed McConnell as a co-headliner with Paul, according to the Sunlight Foundation.

It’s not the first time McConnell has fundraised for Paul. McConnell helped him during last year’s general election, which helped smooth over the relationship after McConnell backed Paul’s primary opponent, Trey Grayson.

Since then, Paul and McConnell have teamed up this year to help Republican Attorney General nominee Todd P’Pool raise money.

The June 28 event McConnell headlined for RANDPAC was co-hosted by some well-known Kentucky and Washington D.C. lobbyists, including Britton Clarke of the American Trucking Association, Charles Grizzle, Fortune Brands and former McConnell aide Hunter Bates.

It was held at R.B. Murphy Associates, where McConnell held two other fundraisers there in June — one for his 2014 campaign fund and the other for his leadership PAC.

RANDPAC also received a June 24 donation of $5,000 from McConnell’s leadership PAC, the Bluegrass Committee.

RANDPAC’s highest contributors were:

• Ryan Cowles, a private equity investor with Warburg Pincus LLC, who donated $5,000 on March 15, days after the PAC was formed.

• Lewis Lehrman, of L E Lehrman & Co. LCC, an investment firm and a former New York gubernatorial candidate in 1982, gave $5,000 on May 26.

• Frayda Levin, chair of the New Jersey chapter of Americans for Prosperity, gave 5,000 on April 15.

• Kenneth Levy, an investor with Jacobs Levy Equity Management, gave $5,000 on April 15.

• Fund for America’s Future, the PAC of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, gave $2,000 on May 13.

RANDPAC also listed $27,123 in unitemized contributions, meaning the names and donations aren’t listed in the group’s mid-year report.

Most of the group’s expenses were to Broghamer, who is listed as the group’s treasurer. RANDPAC has $61,839 on hand has of July 30, according to it’s report.

-Reporting by Kenny Colston