Tag: The A-list

Money in Politics

Humana co-founder Jones gives $250K more to PAC aiming to flip state House, joining Trump and other heavy-hitters
David Jones Sr
Jones

David Jones Sr.‘s contribution is on top of the $200,000 he gave to Kentuckians for Strong Leadership last September, and $125,000 he gave in February 2014 — a total $575,000, according to new Federal Election Commission records.

The super PAC was created three years ago by allies of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to help Kentucky’s senior senator win re-election in 2014, according to The Courier-Journal.

Donald Trump
Trump

With McConnell’s win in November 2014, the PAC’s priority is now helping Republicans capture a majority in the Kentucky House of Representatives this fall. If they succeed, Kentucky would be the last state government in the south to fall completely under GOP control.

Jones’ most recent donation came May 13, according to the PAC’s second-quarter report, and formed the bulk of the $290,000 receipts for the period. Since it was launched, the PAC has raised at least $8.3 million from 164 donors, according to FEC records. It had $5.5 million on hand at the end of the quarter.

Robert McNair
McNair

High-profile PAC donors include Donald Trump, the newly nominated GOP candidate for the White House; he gave $60,000 in October 2014 and May 2013. But Jones has been most generous, with his total $575,000 more than any other single donor, according to a Boulevard analysis of FEC records. Another top donor was Robert McNair of Houston, who gave $500,000 in September 2014; he’s founder and CEO of the NFL’s Houston Texans. And here are four more:

  • Lawrence F. DeGeorge of Jupiter, Fla., $500,000 in two donations, in July 2014 and November 2013. He lists his employer as venture capital firm LPL Investment Group
  • Christine Chao of New York, $400,000 in September 2014; she lists her occupation as self-employed. (McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, has a sister named Christine, but it’s unclear whether they two women are one in the same. Through the wealthy Chao family, McConnell is one of the richest U.S. senators, with as much as $43 million)
  • John W. Childs of Vero Beach, Fla., $390,000 combined in August and May 2014 and April 2013. He’s chairman of his namesake private-equity firm.
  • Murray Energy Corp. of St. Clarksville, Ohio, $300,000, also in September 2014. The coal producer announced earlier this month that it may lay off up to 4,400 coal miners by September in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Illinois, Utah and Pennsylvania

Read this Boulevard spreadsheet to see all 164 donors.

GOP leads in June

Overall, the Kentucky Republican Party raised $209,000 in June, and spent $105,000, giving it $1.6 million in the bank, according to its FEC report for the month.

The Kentucky Democratic Party didn’t do nearly as well. The state Democratic Central Executive Committee took in only $68,000 during the month and spent $102,000, leaving just $72,651 on hand.

The Jennifer Lawrence Diary™
Lawrence and Hoult
Lawrence and Hoult at 2014 Golden Globes ceremony.

“The first time you fall in love, you’re so mental that it’s difficult to recall anything. I think you just grow up and become more aware of yourself and other people and that changes it a little bit.”

— actor Nicholas Hoult, who dated Jennifer Lawrence on and off for three years until 2014, telling “Entertainment Tonight” he’s learned to lower his expectations in his search for a soulmate.

Philanthropy

Fund for the Arts raises $9 million, but campaign illustrates risk of shifting Louisville economy

The Fund for the Arts said it received $8.7 million in contributions during its fundraising campaign ended last month, up slightly from last year’s $8.6 million. The money will be distributed to more than 100 charities, schools and other nonprofits to support arts programs, according to The Courier-Journal.

Fund for the Arts logoBut in announcing the figures, the 67-year-old organization warned Louisville’s economy has made it harder to raise more money, especially when big contributions from companies such as GE Appliances and Humana may be threatened by ownership changes.

The Humana Foundation is one of the fund’s biggest supporters. Of the $8.3 million it gave to charity in 2014, $366,000 went to the arts fund, according to the foundation’s most recent IRS tax return. Only six other charities got more:

With $179 million, the Humana Foundation is the fourth-largest foundation in Louisville, according to Boulevard’s database of richest nonprofits. While it’s legally separate from the company, their leadership overlaps. The foundation’s five directors are Humana CEO Bruce Broussard; General Counsel Christopher Todoroff; board member David A. Jones Jr.; his father, company co-founder David A. Jones Sr., and Chairman Michael McCallister, a retired Humana CEO and former chairman.

Michael McCallister
McCallister

It’s unclear whether Aetna would change any of those officers — and the foundation’s giving, too — assuming the Hartford insurer completes its $37 billion purchase of Humana. That deal is subject to final regulatory approval, a hurdle that’s recently grown higher within the Department of Justice’s antitrust division.

Related: As GE Foundation gets new chief, its Louisville ties are less certain after Haier deal.

Sporting Scene

Sing it from the rooftops! 295 days, 11 hours, 39 minutes

. . . until the 143rd Kentucky Derby! That’s according to our exclusive 2017 Derby Countdown Clock™. Until then, here’s 2015 American Idol winner Jordan Smith of Harlan, Ky., and his then-fiancé Kristen Denny — now wife! — at this year’s first Saturday in May.

Embed from Getty Images
RSVP

There will always be a South

“When Beulah May Hammond entertained the Daughters of the American Revolution, she used to have the 10-foot interior doors taken off the hinges and put on sawhorses covered with her finest linens for luncheon tables!”

— Voice-Tribune correspondent Carla Sue Broecker in her “Partyline” social column in today’s issue. She’s describing an enormous Victorian house with 12-foot ceilings in Bardstown. Kentucky was a border state during the Civil War. Otherwise, Hammond’s luncheons might have been for the United Daughters of the Confederacy.