Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced in February that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, but has so far stopped short of endorsing a successor. That hasn’t stopped wealthy donors linked to him and other party leaders from throwing large sums of cash into sinking the candidacy of Nate Morris, a Republican who has defined himself in opposition to McConnell’s legacy.
In January, operatives working with PDS Compliance, a major GOP political finance firm, filed paperwork establishing the Keep America Great PAC. As the months ticked by, hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations flowed in from wealthy Republican donors who frequently contribute to party leadership, including to the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund. After building up a considerable war chest, Keep America Great PAC spent $811,925 between June 30 and August 13 on a barrage of text blasts and digital advertisements aimed at sinking Morris’ bid for Senate. The PAC recently announced an additional $1.2 million ad buy attacking Morris.
Morris, an independently wealthy businessman, has portrayed himself as a political outsider in contrast to his primary opponents, former Kentucky gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron (R) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), whom he characterizes as products of McConnell’s political machine.
“You’ve got two McConnellites that owe everything to Mitch McConnell versus the outside business guy that’s running as the MAGA candidate,” Morris told Donald Trump Jr. during a recent podcast interview. “I think that contrast is going to be very, very striking to Kentuckians all over the state because they’ve had enough. They’ve had enough of Mitch.”
Indeed, seven sources familiar with the matter recently leaked to NOTUS that allies of Barr and Cameron were considering launching a joint super PAC to attack Morris and that they would target longtime donors to McConnell to help fund the operation. Both men’s campaigns have denied involvement in the effort.
While the future of that joint venture is uncertain, establishment donors have rallied behind Keep America Great PAC as a means to oppose Morris.
The PAC has been primarily funded so far by five wealthy GOP donors: retirement fund mogul John Slavic, financial services executive Scott Crockett, real estate developer Brett Setzer, marketing executive Alan Franco, and investor Eric Gustavson.
Franco, Gustavson, and Setzer have previously made large contributions to McConnell. Gustavson and Franco, additionally, have collectively donated a quarter of a million dollars to the Senate Leadership Fund, which is run by allies of McConnell. During the 2016 Republican primary, campaign finance records show that Slavic supported Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who was seen as an establishment-friendly alternative to Trump at the time. Franco, in 2022, gave to a committee called the “John Bolton super PAC.”
All five donors have cut large checks to fund efforts linked to the Republican Party’s leadership, including committees affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as well as the National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the Republican National Committee.
Some of the PAC’s donors have even previously contributed to Democrats. Crockett, for instance, cut checks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), among others. Franco, meanwhile, has contributed to the Nevada Democratic Party, Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV), and former Rep. David Trone (D-MD).
One thing all five donors had in common was having made large donations to Barr. Further evidencing Barr’s close links to Keep America Great PAC, the committee filed paperwork in July listing “Friends of Andy Barr” as a “connected organization, affiliated committee, joint fundraising representative, or leadership PAC sponsor.”
The ads targeting Morris have accused him of being “woke” by citing his business record and linking him to McConnell, whom he worked for as an intern more than two decades ago.
In a conversation with the Washington Examiner, one political operative close to the Morris campaign suggested that even though Morris is currently trailing in the polls, the large amount of funds backing the campaign against him signifies that the other candidates view him as a long-term threat.
PRO-ISRAEL BILLIONAIRES SPENT OVER $1.5 MILLION IN 38 DAYS TO OUST THOMAS MASSIE
Though polling on the Kentucky GOP primary consistently places Cameron as the race’s front-runner, the pro-Barr Keep America Great PAC has yet to log any negative ads against him.
“It’s MAGA vs the McConnell establishment here in Kentucky — and no matter how much money the establishment spends to prop up McConnell’s puppets, Nate is going to keep speaking the truth about why Kentucky deserves a Senator who isn’t controlled by Mitch McConnell’s RINO political machine,” Morris spokesman Conor McGuinness told the Washington Examiner. “Nate believes it’s time for Kentucky to have a Senator who stands with President Trump and puts America First.”
The Barr campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
