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From November 2015 — Kynect “adds no value” that the federal exchange doesn’t provide, said Matt Bevin at a press conference in Frankfort. Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal

Gov. Matt Bevin will headline a large Republican Party fundraising event in Louisville later this month as the GOP barrels toward the March 8 election of four new state Representatives in their effort to take control of the Kentucky House.

The event is the first effort by the GOP to press its money advantage that it gained in November when Bevin won the governor’s office and robbed the Democrats of any top-draw fundraiser in Kentucky.

“When you’ve got the governor’s office, you’ve got big fundraising power. When you’ve got the Senate Majority Leader, you’ve got big fundraising power. And both of these guys are making taking the House a priority,” said Patrick Hughes, the outgoing chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Invitations for what is being billed as “the First Annual Governor’s Dinner” went out this week for the event, which will be held at The Olmsted on Jan. 22. The minimum contribution for admittance is $2,500.

According to the invitation, there are various levels of giving. For $5,000, a contributor can be listed as a sponsor. At $7,500, one can be a co-host. And for $12,500, folks will be listed as hosts of the event.

According to the invitation, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be the “featured guest.” All the Republican state-wide office holders will attend at least three of the state’s five Republican United States Representatives.

The list of bigwigs attending is “still in formation,” according to the invitation.

Mike Biagi, executive director of the Republican Party of Kentucky, declined to say what the money will be used for, but he acknowledged that taking control of the House is the party’s top priority.

Biagi said the decision on how to spend the money “will be made internally” and that the party normally doesn’t publicize that sort of thing.

“I will say, we are investing and working really hard to win these special elections. We will invest in our candidates in an effort to help them, but I don’t have a specific comment on how we’re going to use the money from that dinner,” Biagi said.

Democrats hold a 50-46 majority in the state House of Representatives – the last state legislative body in the south still held by the Democrats. With some luck, Republicans could tie Democrats at 50-50 if they sweep the March 8 special elections.

Biagi also refused to say how much the party expects to raise at the event. Masterson’s Catering, which operates The Olmsted, says the venue can accommodate up to 500 people for dinner.

Republicans have a way to go to catch up to Democrats’ fundraising for the election. In December, the Kentucky House Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee reported that it had $549,745 on hand, and the House Republican Caucus Campaign Committee reported that it had $57,001 in the bank.

Hughes, however, said he expects the Republicans to ultimately outspend the Democrats in the four special elections. He said the party is working on a large fundraising event but acknowledged that the party lacks a top fundraiser.

He said Democrats will have to rely on big givers in Louisville, one of the last Democratic strongholds in the state, and will have to look outside Kentucky to big Democratic donors and groups like labor unions and people who have an interest in the state’s healthcare system.

“There are people who are going to have to step up more than they’ve stepped up in the past,” Hughes said.

State law prohibits candidates for the state legislature from accepting contributions from political action committees while the General Assembly is in session, in most cases, and prohibits lobbyists from giving to legislative candidates and sitting legislators.

The political parties are not bound by any of those rules, however.

Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Gerth.