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New Political Action Committee's Aim is for Republicans to Take Kentucky State House

With more than a year before the next elections, new political action committee has formed to help Republicans gain control of the Kentucky state House.

The PAC—Pro-Jobs, Pro-Kentucky—was formed earlier this month by Scott Jennings, a longtime Kentucky  GOP political operative and Mike Adams, a former political director for the Republican Governor's Association.

Pro-Jobs, Pro-Kentucky's goal is to support state legislative candidates who support economic growth in the Commonwealth, according to fillings with the Internal Revenue Service. The PAC also filed with the Federal Election Commission to be able to raise money.

In a statement, Jennings said unhappiness with Frankfort led to the creation of the PAC. 

“There are a number of job creators, workers, and taxpayers who aren’t happy with Frankfort for a variety of reasons. We’re exploring possible political engagement on a number of fronts as many people have asked us what can be done to enact more pro-growth policies that will create jobs for Kentucky,” he said.

Both Jennings and Adams have long political careers. Jennings was most recently directed Ohio for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Before that, he helped run David Williams' 2011 gubernatorial campaign, worked in the White House and helped U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. 

Adams also is part of the  Republican PAC Ameri-GOP, which was helpful for state House and Congressional candidates last year.

Democrats have been using a group called Kentucky Family Values to support their candidates since 2011 and many credit the Democratic PAC's campaign activities last year to helping Democrats retain control of the state House this year. 

Kentucky is the lone Southern state where Republicans don't control all legislative chambers. 

Kenny Colston is the Frankfort Bureau Chief for Kentucky Public Radio (a collaborative effort of public radio stations in Kentucky). Colston has covered Kentucky's Capitol and state government since 2010. He is a Louisville native, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. When he's not tracking down stories about Kentucky politics, you can often find him watching college sports, particularly football.