Kentucky

The reason stories about Jim King's campaign finances keep ending up on these pages is simply because of the campaign violations he and his daughter Judge Katie King committed in getting her elected for a district judge's seat in Jefferson County. 

So here is another story in which Jim King has contributed $760,000 of his own money to his campaign for metro mayor. Add the $145,000 he gave to Katie in run for the robes, and you have nearly a million dollars thrown in to get himself and family members elected.  That's a lotta money in a down-economy when many are worried about their jobs and can't help but scratch their head and wonder what's up.

Personal loan puts King in lead for fundraising



By Dan Klepal ? dklepal@courier-journal.com ? January 5, 2010

Thanks to his personal fortune, Democrat Jim King has jumped to the front of the fundraising race among major candidates to become Louisville's next mayor.



But another Democrat, businessman Greg Fischer, raised the most money from contributors ? $245,000 ? in the fourth quarter of 2009.



King, a Metro Council member and owner of King Southern Bank, loaned his campaign $760,000 and raised an additional $30,000 during the fourth quarter of 2009, pushing his total raised to more than $1 million. At the end of the quarter, he had $791,000 available for the campaign.



King raised just over $200,000 from supporters during the initial reporting period, and said putting in his own money ?should be seen as an indication of our commitment to winning this race.?



?I realized a successful campaign will take more than $1 million, and I felt an obligation to show supporters that I'm just as invested as they are,? King said. ?I think I've proven that I'm the only candidate that has the resources and the organization to win.?