Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway's fundraising for the second quarter of this year includes $400,000 in personal loans, the difference in giving the Democrat a slight edge over Republican Rand Paul.
Conway, the Kentucky attorney general who was a lawyer in Louisville, raised $1.4 million during the three-month period ending in June, according to his campaign. Paul's campaign said the tea party favorite raised more than $1.1 million during the quarter. Paul, a Bowling Green eye doctor, has not lent money to his campaign.
Some of Conway's money came from a weekend fundraiser in Canada with a group of trial lawyers, bringing a rebuke from the Paul campaign, which also raised money outside the state.
"Kentuckians should be outraged that Jack Conway left the country to raise money from his trial lawyer allies," said Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton. "Conway and his liberal buddies do not represent Kentucky values, and they certainly should not get to buy influence in Washington at Kentucky's expense."
Conway's campaign said it welcomes support from across the country.
Paul, who casts himself as a political outsider, also has raised money out of state in two high-profile events.
Former GOP presidential candidate and multimillionaire Steve Forbes hosted a $1,000-per-person fundraiser Monday night in New York while Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell sponsored a fundraiser at the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington, D.C. Tickets for that event went for $1,000 per person, with sponsorships up to $5,000 per group.
Meanwhile, a key strategist behind Paul's political rise said he was leaving to become campaign manager for a yet-unnamed gubernatorial ticket in Kentucky to run next spring. Adams was campaign manager as Paul went from a libertarian-leaning novelty to frontrunner, claiming the GOP nomination.
Adams was shifted to campaign chairman after the primary win, about a week after Paul stirred controversy when he expressed misgivings about portions of the Civil Rights Act. Paul suggested that the federal government shouldn't have the power to force restaurants to serve minorities if business owners don't want to.
Adams said his departure from Paul's campaign did not reflect any conflicts in it.
Paul and Conway are vying to replace Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, who is retiring after two terms.
Appearing on Fox News Channel, Paul said he couldn't have won the GOP nomination in Kentucky without support from the tea party, and claimed the movement criticizes Republicans and Democrats equally.
"An interesting thing about it is, it's equal parts chastisement to both parties," Paul said on Fox News Channel.
However, tea party candidates have run as Republicans, and the movement has identified with the GOP, particularly criticizing Democrats.
Paul said the tea party offered an "open mike" for unhappy voters.
"What's different is both the Republican and the Democrat party are not set up for people to come and express their mind," Paul said.
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