LOUISVILLE – Two major Republican donors were again the highest bidders at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Country Ham Breakfast charity auction.
Kelly Craft, a former UN ambassador and 2023 Republican gubernatorial candidate, and her husband, coal executive Joe Craft, offered a record $10.5 million Thursday morning for the country ham that was named champion of the 2024 Kentucky State Fair.
The money will be used to support charitable causes, including the Boys and Girls Club and the construction of new homes in Eastern Kentucky after devastating floods, according to Kelly Craft.
The Crafts have repeatedly placed the highest bid at breakfast in recent years. Last year the couple joined the Central Bank However, they were not present. Craft had finished third in the Republican primary a few months ago, behind winner and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron and former Agriculture Secretary Ryan Quarles – both of whom were also present on Thursday.
“I’m not going to mix politics with charity,” Craft told reporters when asked about her future political ambitions. “This is a really important day, and I think this is about the Kentucky Farm Bureau and the people who work so hard in our state to make this day possible.”
As former Republican President Donald Trump’s election campaign began this year, the Crafts a fundraiser for him in Lexington in May. Previously, Crafts donated to some of the Trump’s main rivalsTrump appointed Kelly Craft as UN Ambassador in 2019, but supported Cameron in the Republican primary for governor.
Each year, the KFB Country Ham Breakfast brings together politicians, agricultural leaders and prominent Kentucky citizens during the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. This year, however, few politicians were present because no candidate is running for statewide office this year.
Elected Republicans in the crowd included Attorney General Russell Coleman, Secretary of State Michael Adams, Comptroller Allison Ball and Treasurer Mark Metcalf, as well as dozens of members of the General Assembly. Most Democrats, including Governor Andy Beshearhad a scheduling conflict this year – the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Thursday was the last day of the DNC.
Kentucky’s highest-ranking Republican, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, spoke at the breakfast and said it was his 30th visit to the event. He spoke to those in attendance about foreign policy and agriculture, particularly the agricultural law which is on hold in Congress. The law includes agricultural support and nutrition programs.
McConnell said if his party had the majority, “we would pass the farm bill.” He added that the situation shows a fundamental difference between elected Republicans and Democrats, and that the latter have a stronger focus on urban areas.
“Frankly, there aren’t many elected Democrats left in small towns and rural America,” McConnell said. “And how that affects an issue like this – they just don’t particularly care.”
Flyers advertising an upcoming McConnell biography, “The Price of Power”, also sat on chairs for the breakfast participants before the event began.
Republican Agriculture Secretary Jonathan Shell also addressed the problems facing agriculture in Kentucky in detail in his remarks.
“I’m telling you, when our rural areas in this state do well, the overall economy in Kentucky does well,” he said. “We in Kentucky contribute $8.1 billion to our farms, families and businesses that are the backbone of this state, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.”
Broadbent B&B of Kuttawa in Lyon County produced the Crafts’ 18.2-pound ham. Kelly Craft said the family usually has the ham cooked and sliced at Critchfield Meats in Lexington so it can be served for Christmas dinner.
