Beshear tells House Democrats to drop campaign consultant who was target of FBI probe
Gov. Andy Beshear is using his influence as Kentucky’s highest elected Democrat to discourage the use of a campaign consultant who was targeted by the FBI and served as the key witness in a campaign finance case against former Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan.
Beshear has told Democratic lawmakers that he will not raise campaign money for any candidates who use Jonathan Hurst as their campaign consultant. Hurst testified in a federal trial last year that Lundergan left $20,000 in cash and a $25,000 check with a memo line that said “boy scouts” in his couch, which contributed to Lundergan being found guilty of funneling illegal corporate campaign contributions into the 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of his daughter, Alison Lundergan Grimes.
“The administration has expressed its desire that members not use Jonathan Hurst as a campaign consultant because of the previous testimony he gave in the case involving Jerry Lundergan,” Chris Harris, D-Pikeville, told the Herald-Leader.
Beshear did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Governors traditionally raise money for members of the legislature in theirs own party, using the political power of the office to help elect a friendly legislature.
A campaign consultant helps guide candidates in their effort to be elected, often through giving political advice and deciding how to spend campaign money to give the candidate their best chance to get elected. Hurst specialized in mailing political advertisements, but also served as campaign manager for Grimes in her failed 2014 bid for U.S. Senate.
Hurst was the most used campaign consultant for House Democrats in the 2018 election and has long served as the campaign consultant for House Minority Leader Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville, who recently became the first woman ever elected to that post. Jenkins was still using Hurst as her consultant as recently as November 2019, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, when she gave his company $1,975 to send out an invitation to a breakfast.
Hurst and Jenkins did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
It is unclear if Democrats in the House have agreed to stop using Hurst as a consultant. In 2018, at least seven House Democrats spent a combined $193,939.72 on Hurst, according to a Herald-Leader analysis of records at the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.
The Kentucky Democratic Party issued a statement Tuesday night backing Beshear’s decision to cut off anyone using Hurst as a consultant.
“At the party we certainly discourage anyone from using a consultant that was recently involved in a campaign that led to multiple felony convictions,” the statement read.
Hurst was initially a target of the 2016 investigation into Jerry Lundergan but was given immunity from federal prosecution if he testified against Lundergan and campaign consultant Dale Emmons. His testimony also suggested Lundergan made improper payments to support his Grimes’ state campaigns for secretary of state in 2011 and 2015.
Harris said he believes Beshear is concerned about endorsing candidates who are using a consultant who, based on testimony in the Lundergan case, might have violated the law.
“There’s a possibility that state charges could still be brought against him,” Harris said of Hurst.
The FBI gave Hurst immunity from federal prosecution in the Lundergan trial, but they did not guarantee that he would be immune from state charges. As attorney general, Beshear appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether Lundergan, Emmons and Hurst violated any state crimes.
Hurst has been a point of contention in the House Democratic caucus as Jenkins has taken over for Rocky Adkins, who left to join Beshear’s administration.
Republicans hold a super majority in the House. The campaign consultant chosen by Democrats will play a key role in their efforts to win seats in a year when President Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket.
The last time Trump was at the top of the ticket, Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives for the first time in nearly 100 years.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 10:11 AM.
