Kentucky Treasurer election, 2015

2019 → ← 2011

2015 Kentucky Treasurer Election

Table of Contents Candidates Key deadlines Duties Race background Polls Campaign finance Past elections Recent news See also External links

Primary Date: May 19, 2015

General Election Date: November 3, 2015

Incumbent prior to election: Todd Hollenbach

The Kentucky Treasurer election took place on November 3, 2015, following the primary on May 19, 2015. Allison Ball (R) was elected.

Incumbent Todd Hollenbach (D) was first elected in 2007 and was ineligible for re-election due to term limits. The race to replace Hollenbach generated competitive primaries for both parties. The Democratic primary featured five candidates hoping to keep the office in their party's hands: Neville Blakemore, Jim Glenn, Daniel Grossberg, Richard Henderson, and Rick Nelson. Nelson defeated the other candidates for the Democratic nomination. Allison Ball defeated Kenny Imes and Jon Larson in the Republican primary.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Kentucky utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Election results

General

Republican Allison Ball defeated Democrat Rick Nelson in the 2015 Kentucky Treasurer election.

Treasurer, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Allison Ball	60.5%	571,455
	Democrat	Rick Nelson	39.5%	372,416
Total Votes				943,871
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

Primary

Democratic

Rick Nelson won the Democratic primary.

Kentucky Treasurer Democratic Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rick Nelson	27.2%	44,397
Neville Blakemore	22.4%	36,663
Richard Henderson	20.1%	32,914
Jim Glenn	19.1%	31,146
Daniel Grossberg	11.2%	18,284
Total Votes		163,404
Election results via Kentucky State Board of Elections.

Republican

Allison Ball defeated Kenny Imes and Jon Larson in the Republican primary.

Kentucky Treasurer Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Allison Ball	46.9%	84,516
Jon Larson	30.9%	55,712
Kenny Imes	22.2%	40,039
Total Votes		180,267
Election results via Kentucky State Board of Elections.

Candidates

Incumbent

Todd Hollenbach

Note: Hollenbach was ineligible to run for re-election in 2015 due to term limits.

General election

Rick Nelson
Allison Ball

Lost in primary

Neville Blakemore
Jim Glenn
Daniel Grossberg
Richard Henderson
Kenny Imes
Jon Larson

Key deadlines

Deadline	Event
January 27, 2015	Filing deadline for primary candidates
April 20, 2015	Voter registration deadline for primary
May 19, 2015	Primary election
August 11, 2015	Filing deadline for petition candidates not involved in partisan primaries
October 5, 2015	Voter registration deadline for general election
November 3, 2015	General election
November 23, 2015	Last day for state certification of election results

Voter registration

Voters in Kentucky can register to vote by printing off a voter registration card and mailing the completed card to the Kentucky State Board of Elections. A voter registration card can also be obtained from a county clerk.

Applicants must identify their party registration on the card. Voters who identify as unaffiliated or as a third-party registrant can only vote in nonpartisan races during partisan primaries. Unaffiliated and third-party voters can vote for any candidate during general or special elections. Registered voters may switch party affiliation by December 31 without jeopardizing their registration for elections in the following year.

The following criteria must be met to qualify as a registered voter in Kentucky:

• U.S. citizenship
  
• Resident of Kentucky
  
• At least 18 years of age by the next general election
  
• Do not have a felony conviction or have been granted restored rights by executive pardon
  
• Have not been judged "mentally incompetent" in court
  
• Do not claim the right to vote in other states

Duties

The treasurer's duties include:

• Act as head of the treasury KRS 041.020
• Create and manage the state's depository KRS 041-070
• Make record of all monies due and payable to the state KRS 041-100
• Process warrants from the Finance and Administration Cabinet KRS 041-150
• Make payments on behalf of the state KRS 041-160
• Make an annual report KRS 041-340

Race background

Debate over necessity of treasurer's office

Term-limited incumbent Todd Hollenbach (D) and former Republican candidate Jon Larson publicly debated the responsibilities of the Kentucky state treasurer's office. Hollenbach argued that his office saved taxpayers $103.2 million over eight years through the state's investment commission and generated $86 million per year through involvement on the state's lottery board. He also pointed to the office's role in reconnecting unclaimed property with rightful owners in all 120 counties in Kentucky through public events.

Larson suggested that the treasurer's duties could be transferred to the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, which already handled accounting of some state dollars. He countered Hollenbach's arguments about savings and revenue generation by noting that the cabinet could appoint other officials to these boards at lower costs. The treasurer's office had an annual budget of $3 million in 2015, representing the smallest financial impact of Kentucky's constitutional offices.

There was a Republican led effort to abolish the treasurer's office. Melinda Wheeler, the 2007 Republican candidate for treasurer, lost to Hollenbach by 15% while campaigning on the abolition of the office. Larson previously sought to abolish the Fayette County judge executive's office, where he served from 2010 to 2014.

Candidate survey

Ballotpedia sent a four-question survey to all filed candidates for the treasurer's election in 2015. This section gathered responses by candidates as they were submitted to the website.

Neville Blakemore
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	As a small business owner with over two decades of management experience, I know how to balance a checkbook and lead a team—this experience is critical when it comes to balancing Kentucky’s checkbook, managing unclaimed property and maximizing the efficiency of the office. The biggest opportunity for the next Treasurer to have an impact is through serving on seven key boards--including the Lottery, Teachers Retirement, Student Loan Corporation and State Investment Commission. These boards make real decisions about how we spend taxpayer dollars, and Kentuckians need a Treasurer to engage in these issues. My strong track record as a business leader and an active community board member gives me the tools to be a strong advocate and a fierce watchdog for Kentucky students, seniors, teachers and all taxpayers.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	Helping stabilize the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System is the critical challenge facing our next Treasurer. Protecting the commitments we’ve made to retired teachers while finding a sustainable path forward requires a Treasurer with extensive experience balancing a checkbook and meeting the fiscal responsibilities of a large organization. I will fight to protect both the teachers and taxpayers as we reform the system.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	The first priority for the Treasurer has to be managing the day to day responsibilities: balancing the checkbook and returning unclaimed property. I’ll do this in an effective, transparent way, giving Kentuckians honest answers about where their tax dollars go. The independently-elected Treasurer can and should be a watchdog and advocate on behalf of the people of Kentucky. Next, we must find a solution to our pension problems, and this starts with finding a path forward on teachers’ retirement. The Treasurer can’t do it alone, but I will work to find a real and lasting solution—and as an independently elected official, I’ll use the independent office and independent platform to bring people together and take action.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	As your next Treasurer, I will certainly use technology to streamline the day-to-day duties of the office. More importantly, technology today can be used to enhance public awareness and ensure transparency. We should invest in fraud protection software and real time, public, online access to Kentucky’s checkbook so we can hold our leaders accountable for their spending decisions.	”
—Email with Melanie McCormick (2015)

Richard Henderson
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I was mayor of Jeffersonville from 2003-2007. As mayor, I managed a $2 million dollar budget that included the water company, parks system, road system, senior citizens and economic development. I served as state representative from the 74th district including Montgomery, Powell and Wolfe counties from 2007-2014. I served on: Member, House Appropriations and Revenue Committee (4 years) Member, House Budget Sub-Committee on Transportation (6 years) Vice chair, House Agriculture and Small Business Committee (8 years) Co-chairman, House Energy Committee (2 years)	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	There are three very important issues facing the next state treasurer: Accountability of monies spent, serving on all boards looking out for the stakeholders and citizens first.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	My plan is to set up permanent regional volunteer offices for unclaimed property and also add updated quarterly printouts of unclaimed property to send out to county office holders, city officials, state representatives, senators, civic groups and community activists in hopes of returning most if not all property to our citizens of this great commonwealth.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	The office of state treasurer should never be eliminated. This office gives a separation of powers within the executive branch of state government. If it is abolished then it would become a governor appointed position. Therefore not saving any money. It could also allow the unclaimed property be swept up by the executive or legislative budgets and used to fill in shortfalls in revenue instead of being returned to its rightful owners. Your future treasurer should fight for this position to remain a constitutional office.	”
—Email with Richard Henderson (2015)

Kenny Imes
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I feel that I am the most qualified candidate for state Treasurer by virtue of both my integrity, experience and common sense in private business, public administration and legislative experience. I have owned and operated seven private companies and supervised and employed over 150 people. As a state cabinet deputy secretary and Commissioner I have supervised over 2,000 state employees and 11 divisions while at the same time basically serving as a CEO, a CFO and CAO of the cabinet all uniquely qualifying me to serve as the Commonwealth's Treasurer. In every instance the budget was balanced and the businesses were profitable.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	There are really two important issues facing the next state Treasurer. One is the constitutional obligation to be the public's 'watchdog' over the state's treasury. The Treasurer should be constantly vigilant on behalf of the taxpayer and do everything in the power of the office to be as transparent and see that the public has eyes on where every tax dollar is spent. Second, the state Treasurer sits on the investment boards for all the state sponsored and backed pension systems. It is imperative that the Treasurer take an active role of leadership in that capacity and in concert with the General Assembly and the Finance Cabinet make much wiser investment decisions based on sound judgement, experience and common financial sense.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	First of all I would show up for work and not be trying to use the office for political ladder climbing. I would bring 40+ years of private, public and legislative experience to the office for the benefit of all the citizens and taxpayers of Kentucky and provide a level of openness and transparency that has been so lacking heretofore. I will especially view with a critical eye the warrants issued for state checks especially those of a 'no-bid' or personal service contract nature.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	I am completely opposed to any and all efforts to abolish the office is state Treasurer. The Treasurer was put into the state's Constitution as the public's safeguard and watchdog over the public's monies and treasurey. The functions of the office would still have to be done and I can't foresee any savings in dollars or staffing requirements. I truly believe it is the public's best interest to have an elected Treasurer that keeps a check and balance within the Executive officers of the Commonwealth. The potential for abuse or corruption would be astronomically higher if the Treasurer's duties were placed under an appointee who would serve at the pleasure of a Governor rather than elected by the public. I really believe it is in the public interest that the Treasurer write the Governor's paycheck rather than the Governor's writing the Treasurer's paycheck.	”
—Email with Kenny Imes (2015)

Rick Nelson
1. Why are you qualified to be the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	I believe I am the most qualified because of my 15 year general assembly experience. Every two years we vote on multi-billion dollar budgets, and my 29 year career as a public school teacher gives me the experience to be able to manage employees and planning.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

2. What is the most important issue facing the next Treasurer of Kentucky?

“	The treasurer sits on the Kentucky Teachers Retirement Board that represents over 165,000 active and retired teachers. The system is now at 53% funded. Work needs to be done to address that situation.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish during your first term in office?

“	Make sure that the office spends its budget wisely. I also plan on visiting each Kentucky high school to teach classes on financial literacy, which the treasurer office is responsible for.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

4. Where do you stand on proposals to eliminate the treasurer's office?

“	It would be a bad idea. If the governor appointed the treasurer they could order them to do as that governor wanted concerning money matters. The treasurer needs to be independent to be a watchdog for the taxpayers.	”
—Email with Rick Nelson (2015)

Polls

General election

Kentucky Treasurer
Poll	Rick Nelson (D)	Allison Ball (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
SurveyUSA/Bluegrass Poll July 22-28, 2015	36%	33%	31%	+/-3.8	685
Public Policy Polling June 18-21, 2015	32%	41%	26%	+/-2.9	1,108
AVERAGES	34%	37%	28.5%	+/-3.35	896.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Republican primary

Kentucky Treasurer, Republican Primary
Poll	Allison Ball (R)	Jon Larson (R)	Kenny Imes (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Triumph Campaigns March 24, 2015	16.7%	10.9%	6.7%	62.7%	+/-4	601
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical match-ups

Kentucky Treasurer, Ball v. Nelson
Poll	Rick Nelson (D)	Allison Ball (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Gravis Marketing January 5-6, 2015	32%	34%	35%	+/-4	608
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

First quarter report (2015)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $310,779.34 and spent a total of $140,706.65 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on May 5, 2015.

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
Neville Blakemore	Kentucky Treasurer	$195,315.84	$136,056.50	$92,991.29	$238,381.05
James Glenn, Jr.	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$70,751.42	$11,687.58	$59,063.84
Kenny Imes	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$47,345.42	$8,757.48	$38,587.94
Allison Ball	Kentucky Treasurer	$17,071.16	$23,330.00	$8,896.64	$31,504.52
Daniel Grossberg	Kentucky Treasurer	$1,872.61	$20,311.00	$12,733.00	$9,450.61
Jon Larson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$6,450.00	$431.00	$6,019.00
Richard Henderson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$4,035.00	$2,813.95	$1,221.05
Rick Nelson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$2,500.00	$2,395.71	$104.29
Grand Total Raised					$310,779.34
Grand Total Spent					$140,706.65

Fourth quarter report (2014)
Comprehensive donor information for this election was collected from the state's campaign finance authority. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $207,835.03 and spent a total of $11,482.7 during this reporting period. This information was last updated on January 25, 2015.

Campaign Contributions and Expenditures
Candidate	Office	Beginning balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Ending balance
Neville Blakemore	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$204,235.03	$8,919.19	$195,315.84
Allison Ball	Kentucky Treasurer	$17,682.31	$1,600	$2,210.55	$17,071.76
Daniel Grossberg	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$2,000	$352.96	$1,647.04
Richard Henderson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
James Glenn, Jr.	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Kenny Imes	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Jon Larson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Rick Nelson	Kentucky Treasurer	$0	$0	$0	$0
Grand Total Raised					$207,835.03
Grand Total Spent					$11,482.7

Past elections

2011

Kentucky Treasurer, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Todd Hollenbach Incumbent	48.8%	393,413
	Republican	K.C. Crosbie	46.6%	375,916
	Libertarian	Ken Moellman	4.6%	37,261
Total Votes				806,590
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

2007

Kentucky Treasurer, 2007
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Todd Hollenbach	57.5%	573,890
	Republican	Melinda L. Wheeler	42.5%	424,312
Total Votes				998,202
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

2003

Kentucky Treasurer, 2003
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jonathan Miller	56.6%	569,028
	Republican	Adam Koenig	43.4%	437,101
Total Votes				1,006,129
Election results via Kentucky Secretary of State

State profile

Demographic data for Kentucky
	Kentucky	U.S.
Total population:	4,424,611	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	39,486	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	87.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	7.9%	12.6%
Asian:	1.3%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.3%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	84.2%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	22.3%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$43,740	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	22.7%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kentucky. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Kentucky

Kentucky voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Kentucky, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Kentucky had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Kentucky coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Kentucky
• United States congressional delegations from Kentucky
• Public policy in Kentucky
• Endorsers in Kentucky
• Kentucky fact checks
• More...

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kentucky Treasurer election 2015. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Kentucky Treasurer election, 2015 - Google News

See also

• Kentucky State Treasurer
• State executive official elections, 2015
• Kentucky state executive official elections, 2015

External links

Suggest a link

• Kentucky State Treasurer