Hal Rogers

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Inez, KY earlier this year: Politicker photo

The campaign of presumptive Republican presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. John McCain announced its first organizational moves in the state this afternoon, naming state Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville) as Kentucky campaign chair.

A 22-year veteran of the state Senate, Williams has served as that body's president since 2000. He also unsuccessfully sought to unseat then-incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford in 1996.

"John McCain is a leader who Kentuckians can believe in. John McCain will protect our country, grow our economy, reform our government and improve America's energy security," said Williams in a statement dispatched by the McCain campaign. "We believe voters in Kentucky have a choice this November between John McCain, who will lead this nation forward, and Barack Obama who will take our country backward with his failed policies of the past. John McCain has always put our country's interest before his own; I am confident he will continue to do so as president."

As today's filing deadline for the second fundraising quarter passes, PolitickerKY.com has provided updates as numbers from candidates across the state become available. Below are links to our complete coverage, arranged by races.

US Senate:

Lunsford brings in $600K; $1.3M on hand

$3 million quarter and $9 million on hand for McConnell 

KY-1:

Whitfield stays over $1 million into 3Q

KY-2:

Drastically different financial pictures in KY-2 as Guthrie holds large cash-on-hand advantage 

While many of Kentucky's candidates for Congress are scrambling to impress with their fundraising numbers as today's second quarter filing deadline passes, two members of the Commonwealth's Congressional delegation are evidently comfortable enough to share the wealth from their campaign warchests.

U.S. Reps Geoff Davis (R-Ft. Mitchell) and Hal Rogers (R-Somerset) have each made sizeable contributions to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) according to an article by Politico, cited by the blog Blue Grass, Red State.

Davis outlayed $200,000 to the NRCC in a fundraising drive intended to help "minimize expected losses in November," according to Politico.

Rogers contributed $150,000.

BOWLING GREEN -- Despite some particularly visible dissent on the convention floor on Saturday, Republican Party of Kentucky leadership was not abated from approving a package of nineteen resolutions and their favored slate of at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention.

One effort by a handful of Ron Paul delegates attempting to extract one resolution for debate was beaten back from the Chair on procedural grounds during Saturday's Kentucky Republican convention in Bowling Green. Otherwise, all the resolutions recommended by the convention's Resolutions Committee passed easily by voice vote.

Prominent Republicans from mutliple levels of government are expected in Bowling Green on Saturday for the Kentucky Republican Party's annual convention, with the guest list topped by U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-Southgate) and U.S. Reps Geoff Davis (R-Hebron) and Hal Rogers (R-Somerset).

The Saturday convention will begin at 1pm at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green. Other guests confirming their attendance at the event include state Senate President David Williams, Secretary of State Trey Grayson, and state Senator Brett Guthrie, the Republican nominee in the race for Kentucky's open 2nd Congressional District seat.