Kentucky’s most closely watched Court of Appeals race is formally nonpartisan, but it is increasingly being financed and promoted through partisan networks. The Nov. 3 contest between incumbent Judge Will Moynahan and Fayette Circuit Judge Lucy VanMeter has drawn support from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s political operation and from Republican state lawmakers, according to Kentucky Public Radio’s review of campaign activity.
The ballot itself does not identify either candidate with a party. Kentucky Secretary of State filings list both Moynahan and VanMeter as nonpartisan candidates for the 5th Appellate District’s first division. A state judicial-campaign watchdog says the growing role of party officials risks blurring the distinction Kentucky created between judicial elections and races for legislative or executive office.
Two different partisan channels
Beshear appointed Moynahan to the vacant appellate seat in April 2025. The Kentucky Court of Justice profile says the district covers Fayette, Madison, Franklin, Scott, Jessamine, Woodford, Clark and Bourbon counties. The Kentucky Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee objected in June to Beshear appearing at a Moynahan fundraiser and to the campaign’s use of a photograph with the governor, which it viewed as an implied endorsement.
Moynahan told Kentucky Public Radio that he could fairly hear cases involving the Beshear administration and would examine recusal more closely if the governor were personally a party. He also said his support spans Republicans, Democrats and independents. On the other side, the same report found that more than a dozen Republican state lawmakers had contributed to VanMeter, including legislative leaders; her campaign did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment about partisan contributions.
The money underscores how competitive the race has become. A public tracker built from Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records lists $382,967 in contributions for VanMeter and $376,242 for Moynahan in the general-election cycle. Kentucky Public Radio, using the campaigns’ September filings and a broader “total raised” measure, reported higher figures for both candidates. The different totals reflect how the sources classify receipts, but both show a close contest with unusually large financial stakes for a regional judicial seat.
Why the distinction matters
The Court of Appeals reviews decisions from Kentucky circuit courts, ordinarily through three-judge panels. Its rulings can affect criminal cases, civil disputes and challenges to state action, and some are later reviewed by the Kentucky Supreme Court. That makes judicial independence more than a campaign theme: the winning candidate will help decide cases involving the same political branches now taking sides in the election.
The watchdog’s concern is not that candidates must avoid all supporters with party ties. Its stated standard is that partisan officials should not raise money for judicial candidates and that candidates should not trade on explicit or implied partisan endorsements. The committee has no authority to decide the election, but it has spent more than two decades issuing public warnings about conduct it believes could weaken confidence in an impartial bench.
For voters, the practical point is straightforward. Moynahan and VanMeter will appear without party labels, and neither endorsement lists nor donor affiliations substitute for evaluating their records, experience and approach to judicial ethics. The increasingly partisan infrastructure around the race is itself a development voters may weigh, but the office remains a judicial one governed by nonpartisan election rules.
