Buddy Wheatley Outraises Incumbent Secretary of State Michael Adams
During the last financial reporting period, Buddy Wheatley outraised Adams by nearly $10,000. Adams gave himself $15,000 of his total raised.
Buddy Wheatley is a retired firefighter and Fire Chief running for Kentucky Secretary of State, to protect and defend our democracy.
Frankfort, KY – Today, the Buddy for Kentucky campaign announced their fundraising haul for the first quarter of the race. Buddy Wheatley raised $65,129, and Michael Adams raised $58,415, $15,000 of which came from his personal funds.
“The last financial report shows that Kentucky is ready for a change in the Secretary of State office,” said Representative Buddy Wheatley. “I’m not a self-funder, and I’m honored to run a grassroots campaign that is by and for the working people of our Commonwealth.”
“These fundraising results show what we already know - Kentuckians want real leadership in the Secretary of State office. They will not tolerate voter suppression like we saw in the 2022 election, and it’s time for a firefighter to put out the flames,” added Campaign Manager Elissa Fochtman.
Buddy Wheatley is running to protect and defend the most basic tenet of our democracy: free and fair elections. He wants to expand voting access by ensuring every community has sufficient polling places, allowing Independents and 3rd party voters to participate in our primaries and extending polling hours from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Buddy’s full plan is listed below.
Michael Adams continues his private law practice, and is pumping his own funds into his re-election campaign. In his capacity as Chair of the Board of Elections, Adams signed off on drastically reducing the number of polling locations in the 2022 elections, leading to the lowest voter turnout Kentucky has seen in nearly three decades.
Background:
Buddy’s Plan to Secure Kentucky’s Elections and Expand Access to the Ballot Box:
Increase polling locations - Under the current Secretary of State, polling places have significantly decreased. In order to ensure everyone in Kentucky has access to the polls, regardless of ability or transportation, we need to increase polling locations, not restrict them.
Recruit more poll workers - With added polling places, we will need more poll workers, to ensure our elections are secure and effectively run.
Extend voting hours - So many working Kentuckians aren’t able to make the 6:00 PM deadline to vote, and, as all parents know, the mornings are difficult when you have children. We need to extend the 6:00 PM cutoff to 7:00 PM, in order to make sure working Kentuckians are able to cast their ballot.
Extend early voting to 2 weeks - Working families struggle to get off work to vote. The average length of early voting in the US is 23 days - and Kentucky only has 3. Our elections system can support 2 weeks of early voting, and it will ensure everyone in Kentucky has the opportunity to vote.
Allow Independents and other registered voters to take part in our primary elections - This is to ensure our general election candidates represent all of Kentucky.
Eliminate straight party voting - Most other US states have already done this, and it’s time Kentucky catches up to the rest of the country.
Fully implement the right to vote with a robust program to inform and assist eligible former felons.
Buddy’s Bio:
Buddy’s family has been in Northern Kentucky for nearly 150 years. He is a retired firefighter and Fire Chief. He followed a long line of firefighters, including his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who all taught him the value of public service. While Fire Chief, Buddy went to law school at NKU, in order to further his education to better serve his community. As an attorney, Buddy has worked with first responder union members to negotiate fair wages and benefits.
Buddy is a proud product of Kentucky’s public schools, having attended Ludlow High School and University of Kentucky for his undergraduate degree.
Buddy’s wife, Dr. Judi Godsey, and his 2 daughters and granddaughter are all proud to support him in his candidacy. Dr. Judi Godsey’s family is from Eastern Kentucky, and her father and grandfather worked in the mines at Stearns Coal and Lumber Company, which taught both Judi and Buddy the power of a dollar and the strife of working people.
Buddy served in the State House for 2 terms, during which he was a champion for voting rights and pensions. He was known for his bipartisan work to get the job done. His connections in the state legislature make him uniquely qualified to be Secretary of State.