Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes donated some cash to a Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally in Frankfurt, Ky., but the cash actually came directly from her father’s wallet.
Video aired on a local television station shows Grimes taking a few bills from Jerry Lundergan’s wallet to place in a collection plate.
The contribution was the latest leg up offered to Grimes by her father, a powerful political figure in Kentucky.
Lundergan and his wife Charlotte have donated $10,400 to Grimes’ Senate campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Mrs. Lundergan also gave $1,000 to the state Democratic Party, while Mr. Lundergan wrote a $25,000 check to the pro-Hillary Clinton group Ready for Hillary.
Grimes’ parents also contributed $1,000 each to her state Senate run in 2011.
Grimes has played an active role in his daughter’s political ascent, occasionally drawing fire from her opponents.
A third party candidate in the Kentucky Senate race this month accused officials with ties to Lundergan of trying to buy him out of the race.
"They said that Jerry really liked me and that Jerry takes care of his friends. And if Alison wins, there could be a favor owed to me. Whatever that means, I don’t know, but I took it that if I ever needed some help in the future, I could call in my political equity with him," recalled Senate candidate Ed Marksberry.