Senate candidate triggers finance rule

Democrat Bruce Lunsford, a Louisville business owner, has pumped more than $1 million of his own money into his bid for U.S. Senate.

In doing so, he becomes the first Kentucky candidate ever to trigger the so-called millionaire's amendment that will allow many of his opponents in the Democratic primary to raise more money from individual donors.

Lunsford's campaign announced Friday that his forthcoming finance report to the Federal Election Commission will show that Lunsford raised $280,000 from donors, more than 80 percent of that in the last two weeks before the March 31 first quarter deadline.

Lunsford, who began running TV ads April 4, contributed $545,000 of his own money before March 31 and has added another $470,000 from his personal account since then, according to the campaign's statement.

The $800,000 that Lunsford's first quarter report will show is less than the $1 million his top rival in the May 20 Democratic primary, Greg Fischer, says he will report to the FEC.

Fischer released his campaign figures last weekend, saying he collected about $500,000 from others and kicked in $500,000 of his own money. Fischer is CEO of stadium seating company Dant Clayton.

On Friday, Fischer began airing his first television commercial of the primary. He paints himself as an outsider, saying he believes Kentuckians are looking for someone who's "not a part of the system because the system's broken."

That's not unlike the theme of Lunsford's newest ad, which is aimed at the Republican incumbent, Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate's GOP leader.

Fischer's campaign said Friday that Lunsford's failure to raise as much from donors as Fischer had was a sign of weakness.

"It's clear the people of Kentucky aren't supporting Lunsford's campaign," said Kim Geveden, Fischer's campaign consultant. "From this point on he's dependent on Washington for money or his own checkbook. Either way it's not good for him and it's not good for the people of Kentucky."

But Lunsford's spokeswoman said the campaign focused on fund-raising only for about two weeks before the March 31 deadline because Lunsford was concentrating on meeting with union officials.

Several key labor organizations vehemently opposed Lunsford during his 2007 campaign for governor but have endorsed him this year.

About $235,000 of the $280,000 Lunsford raised came in that two-week period, said spokeswoman Allison Haley. She said the campaign has kept up that $16,000-a-day pace since then.

By putting in $1 million of his own money, at least $559,000 more than five of the Democrats vying for the nomination, Lunsford lets them collect up to $6,900 from individual donors, as opposed to the usual maximum of $2,300.

Fischer is not affected at this point, because the difference between Fischer's and Lunsford's personal contributions is less than the $559,000 threshold that triggers the millionaire's amendment.