FRANKFORT, Ky. — Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's reelection committee has reported raising $243,963 in the two-week period ending May 6, bringing the total raised for his campaign to $1,057,880.

That relatively modest total reflects Bevin's delayed start in fundraising in a year when he is a heavy favorite to win his party's nomination in the May 21 primary elections.

But It is far less than amounts raised by any of the three major Democrats seeking election as governor this year, each of whom reported raising more than $1.5 million as of April 21.

In a report filed Monday with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, the slate of Bevin and running mate Ralph Alvarado also reported having spent $752,272 through May 6. That left the ticket with $305,608 on hand 15 days before the election.

More:Who are the Republicans running for Kentucky governor and how can they win?

Bevin's chief rival for the Republican nomination, state Rep. Robert Goforth, of East Bernstadt, reported Monday that his campaign raised just $520 during the same two-week period. But Goforth is financing nearly all of his campaign with personal loans. He earlier reported loaning $750,406 to his campaign, but his new report shows he made no additional loans during the April 21-May 6 period. And Goforth reported having $477,240 on hand as of May 6.

And in a telephone interview, Goforth said he will make additional personal loans to his campaign — perhaps to a total of $2 million — in his effort to defeat Bevin.

"The people are fed up with Matt Bevin ..." Goforth said. "I'll have enough money and I'm going to win."

Bevin's campaign manager Davis Paine did not respond to an email seeking comment about the recent report filed by the campaign.

Bevin's report discloses a fundraising event early this month sponsored by coal operator Joe Craft, the chief executive of Alliance Resource Partners. And it lists names of at least 19 employees of Alliance, as well as the corporation PAC, as giving a combined total of at least $32,500 to the Bevin campaign during the period.

The one huge expense reported by the Bevin campaign during the two weeks was $504,061 paid to Smart Media Group, of Alexandria, Virginia, for "advertising media."

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Other Bevin campaign expenses included: $43,852 to a business named 1892 LLC, of Chicago, for consulting; $43,284 to Strategic Perception, Inc., of Hollywood, for advertising production; and $35,000 to Convergence Media, of Alexandria, Virginia, for advertising media.

Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist and a conservative columnist for the Courier Journal, noted Bevin did not launch his campaign until late — at the January deadline for filing for governor. But Jennings said Bevin, as an incumbent governor, has the ability to raise large amounts in contributions and showed in 2015 that he has the ability to finance his own campaign to a significant extent.

Moreover, Jennings said the Republican Governor's Association is expected to heavily advertise the Republican in the fall. Regardless of what it looks like now, "I don't see any way the Republican will be outspent in the governor's race this year," Jennings said.

The major candidates seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for governor had not filed their campaign finance reports as of midafternoon Monday. They have until midnight Monday to electronically file them.

The reports filed Monday are the final ones candidates for statewide office are required to file before the May 21 elections.

More:Who are the Democrats running for Kentucky governor and how can they win?

Reporter Tom Loftus can be reached at 502-875-5136 or tloftus@courier-journal.com. Twitter: @TomLoftus_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/toml.