Boone County Commissioner Chet Hand filed a statement of spending intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, indicating his intention to run for the office of judge/executive in 2026.
The filing, dated April 11, is required for any candidate who wishes to raise and/or spend more than $5,000 during an election. It is the required first step for campaign fundraising and spending in Kentucky.
Hand will also have to file with Boone County as a candidate in order to appear on the ballot in the May 2026 primary election. Candidates cannot file with the county until Nov. 5, 2025, and they have until Jan. 9. 2026, according to Boone County Clerk Justin Crigler.
Hand was elected to the Boone County Commission in 2022 and took office in January 2023. In the 2022 primary, Hand unseated incumbent Charles Kenner with nearly 63% of the vote, and ran unopposed in the general election in November.
Gary Moore has been the Boone County judge/executive since 1998.
“I am a candidate for re-election in 2026,” Moore told LINK nky. “The primary is still more than a year away and the filing deadline does not occur until January.”