A new Federal Election Commission finance report from Gov. Andy Beshear’s In This Together PAC shows spending and donor activity consistent with a presidential campaign buildout, including a large May contribution from a first-time Beshear supporter and target
When Gov. Andy Beshear’s super PAC filed its latest Federal Election Commission report for May activity, it didn’t just document fundraising. It mapped out a rhythm that looks a lot like the early machinery of a presidential campaign.
The political action committee, In This Together PAC Inc., posted its report on the FEC’s website late last week. The filing covers the month of May and points to “a lot of action in states that will select delegates early in the campaign leading to the 2028 Democratic National Convention. ” according to language from the PAC’s report.
In that same report. Eric Hyers—who managed Beshear’s two campaigns for governor and now heads his ongoing political operation—described Beshear’s recent travel as part of a wider effort to back Democratic candidates across the country. He said Beshear has been traveling and supporting Democrats in places including South Carolina. Nevada. Georgia. New Hampshire. Michigan. Colorado and Minnesota in recent weeks.
In This Together was formed soon after Beshear’s reelection as governor in 2023. The PAC is presented as a fundraising vehicle that Beshear uses to donate to like-minded candidates. It also covers his travel and pays Hyers and other consultants on Beshear’s political team as they prepare for an expected announcement of a presidential campaign.
The finance numbers show the PAC was active all month. In This Together had $1,744,000 on hand at the beginning of May, raised $172,000 during the month, and spent $104,000. That left it with a balance of $1,812,000 at the beginning of June.
But the report also comes with a limit on how much can be seen from a single filing. In This Together is the type of PAC that submits some contributions and expenses to the FEC and others through a separate report to the IRS. A comprehensive view of the committee’s overall activity is expected next month when it files updated reports with both agencies.
The donor picture in May skewed toward early-delegate states. The report shows more donors from Iowa than any state other than Kentucky, along with seven donors from South Carolina. It also identifies a standout contribution that the filing presents as a major new entry into Beshear’s political orbit.
Lucy Phillips of Louisville gave $50,000, the largest contribution to In This Together during the month by far. The PAC’s filing indicates that Phillips’ gift was nearly 30 percent of the total contributions the committee took in during May. Phillips is identified in the report as a self-employed writer.
The filing notes that a search of online databases of the FEC and the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance found no previous contributions from Phillips to Beshear campaigns or political causes. The only other political contribution Phillips had been found making in Kentucky was another large and recent gift—$44. 300 to a national Democratic Party committee called Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund on March 13.
Two other major May contributors were long-time Beshear backers. William T. Young, president of the warehousing and logistics company W.T. Young LLC, gave $20,000. Britt Brockman of Louisville, chairman of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, gave $15,000.
Earlier this month. Kentucky Lantern reported that Beshear’s 16 appointees to coveted seats on the UK board have contributed nearly $1.7 million to Beshear’s various political committees since his first campaign for attorney general in 2015. Brockman was named as one of the largest Beshear backers from that group. Kentucky Lantern reported that Brockman’s $15. 000 contribution to In This Together in May. along with another $15. 000 Brockman gave in May to the Kentucky Democratic Party. brings his total contributions to Beshear political causes to $205. 500.
The money In This Together sent out during May also followed a delegate-focused pattern. The largest contribution made by the super PAC during the month was $25,000 to the Democratic Party of New Hampshire.
In late May, the PAC reported giving $5,000 to Democrat Zach Dembo’s campaign for Congress in Kentucky’s Sixth District. It also reported contributing $5,000 to Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures’ reelection campaign in Alabama, and $2,226 to Democrat Roy Cooper’s campaign for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Cooper is a former governor of North Carolina.
Taken together. the May report shows a super PAC raising money. deploying it selectively. and building a donor base across multiple early-delegate states—while pointing toward an expected presidential announcement. Yet the filing also leaves room for questions because part of its financial picture is being tracked elsewhere. with next month’s combined FEC and IRS updates expected to fill in what this May snapshot could not fully capture.
Andy Beshear In This Together PAC Inc. Eric Hyers Federal Election Commission presidential campaign 2028 Democratic National Convention early delegate states Lucy Phillips W.T. Young LLC Britt Brockman Zach Dembo Shomari Figures Roy Cooper