LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – With Republican Mike Harmon finishing two terms and now running for governor, Kentucky will have a new state auditor for the first time since 2016.
Two Republicans faced off in the primary Tuesday night – current State Treasurer Allison Ball and Derek Petteys a project-manager of Lexington – with Ball easily advancing to the General Election in November.
The Associated Press called the race for Ball with 27% of the votes counted at 7:07 p.m. Ball received 72.9% of votes.
"As State Treasurer, Allison has a been a watchdog on taxpayer dollars, prevented many instances of fraud, fought back against radical ESG proposals, and made Kentucky a champion in financial literacy," Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Mac Brown said in a statement.
Ball will face the only Democrat challenger, Kimberley Reeder, on Nov. 8. Reeder is a tax attorney who grew up in eastern Kentucky.
The auditor is elected to a four-year term and is only allowed to serve two consecutive terms.
The state auditor’s office is responsible for ensuring Kentucky taxpayer dollars are not being wasted and checking for possible fraud, conducting audits on the finances and procedures of state agencies and county governments that receive public funds.
Harmon, for example, conducted examinations of the University of Louisville and the school’s foundation as well as the Louisville Arena Authority. Harmon had completed his two terms and could not run again. He was defeated in the GOP gubernatorial primary.
Ball, an eastern Kentucky native finishing a second term as state treasurer, campaigned on delivering her “promise to serve as a watchdog of taxpayer dollars.”
As treasurer, she said last year, her office returned $142 million in unclaimed property to Kentuckians, launched a new government transparency website, and established a savings and investment program for Kentuckians with disabilities.
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