The super PAC of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reported raising another $824,821 in the first half of this year, bringing its total amount raised so far in 2025 to $1.4 million.
In This Together is a hybrid political action committee that reports contributions to both the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. Two weeks ago, the PAC’s filing with the FEC showed it raised $618,210 in the first half of this year, while its IRS filing last Friday reported another $824,821.
Formed shortly after his reelection victory in 2023, the PAC is a tool for Beshear to help candidates he supports, while also building support from allies he may need help from in future political endeavors. The governor has not ruled out a run for president and is making political speeches in early primary states, just as he did in swing states last summer when he was being considered as a potential vice presidential pick for Democrats.
The largest contribution reported to the FEC this year was $100,000 from an in-state real estate developer, but the IRS report last week showed a $225,000 contribution from Andrew Schwartzberg, a real estate developer based in Maryland and California. He also contributed $250,000 to In This Together in 2024, making him by far the largest benefactor of the Beshear PAC.
Schwartzberg, whose companies focus on affordable rental housing, is also part of the majority ownership team of the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise.
He has been a prolific donor to other PACs in the past two years, including a $1 million contribution to Pass the Torch USA, which originally supported Democratic Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips in his underdog candidacy against President Joe Biden in 2024. The PAC then paid for ads that summer urging Biden to drop out of the race, following his poor performance in his debate with Donald Trump.
Schwartzberg has also donated at least half a million dollars each to House Majority PAC (one of the main PACs to elect Democrats to Congress), VoteVets (a PAC supporting Democratic veteran candidates) and United Democracy Project (a PAC helping candidates deemed supportive of Israel).
The second largest donor to In This Together in its new IRS filing is Maegan Ford Nicholson, who contributed $100,000. Though her listed address is in Dallas, Texas and her occupation and employer are not listed, she is the daughter of Texas banker Gerald P. Ford, who owns a thoroughbred horse farm in Versailles.
The IRS filing showed a $50,000 contribution to In This Together from Christopher Dischinger, the co-founder of LDG Development, a Louisville firm that focuses on developing rental apartments.
Also contributing $50,000 this year was Christian Larsen, the San Francisco-based co-founder of Ripple, Inc., a cryptocurrency company. Last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled its high-profile lawsuit against Ripple, leaving a $125 million fine in place for selling its XRP tokens without registering them as securities.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray contributed $25,000, as well as Tracy Farmer, a Kentucky thoroughbred horse owner and breeder.
Contributing $20,000 was Greg Fischer, the Covington owner of Fischer Homes, and Jonathan Blue, the Louisville chairman and managing director of Blue Equity. Blue is also an investor in Kentucky’s new medical cannabis industry, partnering with Cresco, an Illinois-based marijuana company that does business in several states and has close ties to several license holders in Kentucky.
The IRS filing shows the largest expenditure of In This Together in 2025 was the $143,568 it spent on mailing political ads in support of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, who won her race in April. The PAC also contributed $25,000 directly to Copper State Values, a PAC supporting Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs in her reelection race next year.
In This Together also reported spending $23,255 on a Louisville charter plane company. Beshear has made political speeches in several other states this year, including South Carolina, which is expected to be one of the earliest states to have a Democratic presidential primary election in 2028.
There is no record of how much was received or spent this year by Heckbent, which is the dark money 501(c)(4) of Beshear that can accept contributions of unlimited amounts that do not have to be disclosed to the public. That dark money PAC spent at least $575,000 last year on contributions to PACs opposing a constitutional ballot referendum to allow public money to go to private education and supporting Kentucky Supreme Court candidate Pamela Goodwine, who won her race.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
