Kentucky 1st District Rep. Ed Whitfield’s former field director, Michael Pape, leads fundraising efforts in the race to succeed the retiring 11-term Congressman.
According to Federal Election Commission filings, Pape has raised $229,445, with $214,630 cash on hand. Republican primary rival James Comer has raised $214,525, with $205,741 cash on hand.
In a distant third, Hickman County Attorney Jason Batts has raised $87,291 , plus a $25,000 candidate loan. He has $93,162 cash on hand.
There are no filings yet for Republican Miles Caughey Jr. or Democrat Tom Osborne, a Paducah attorney who jumped in the race for his party’s nomination on last week’s filing deadline. Osborne's lone Democratic competition, Sam Gaskins of Hopkinsville, has raised $1,780 in total contributions, with no cash on hand, according to the end-of-year filing.
Kentucky's primary election is set for May 17.
