Haire to report over $200k in first quarter

Daviess County Judge/Executive Reid Haire will report over $200,000 raised in the first quarter of his campaign for the Democratic nomination in Kentucky's 2nd Congressional District.

Haire's campaign manager Tim Shock told PolitickerKY.com today that figure consisted of only donations.

"There aren’t any personal loans involved and there aren’t any other loans involved. That’s real dollars raised," said Shock.

Shock also noted the funds came from over 300 donors.

The donors are "by and large from the Second Congressional District, from Owensboro and Daviess County. That's where most of the people who know who [Haire] is exist," remarked Shock.

Shock said the funds ensure Haire will be up on the air on both radio and television during the primary.

"We are going to be doing a paid media plan that will include radio and TV," said Shock. "It will be an expansive-enough buy that it will reach all of the folks in the district."

The report is a boost for Haire's primary candidacy against State Senator David Boswell (D-Sorgho), who is expecting a small 1Q. Previously, a spokesman for Boswell said that candidate focused on work in the state legislature instead of fundraising in the 1Q.

Amid this news, reports circulated that Boswell was considering dropping out of the race. Boswell's camp derided those yesterday as "the fabrication of another campaign."

Today, Shock said the Haire camp had nothing to do with those reports, but he was not surprised they existed.

"Considering what the numbers would show in the first quarter, I understand why [Boswell] may be thinking that would be the prudent thing to do," said Shock.

As for the tone of the remainder of the primary race, Shock said the Haire campaign would focus on their own candidate, and not Boswell.

"This is not going to be a race about talking about Senator Boswell. Its about introducing Reid as the best candidate in the primary, about what his ideas are, and about he is going to do," said Shock. "We'll let David introduce David."

The winner of the May 20 Democratic primary will face State Senator Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) in November. Guthrie is expected to have a strong 1Q as well, with numbers bolstered by a Lexington fundraiser headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney.