Georgia’s governor’s race is a contest between the political haves and have-nots.
New campaign finance disclosures filed Thursday show Republicans stockpiling and spending money at staggering levels, led by the financial arms race between billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
But even the longer-shot Republican contenders have built war chests that dwarf the Democratic side of the race. The four main GOP candidates reported more than $13 million in combined cash on hand — more than five times the roughly $2.5 million reported by the quartet of top Democrats.
That gap is shaping the Democratic contest in a very different way. The party’s candidates are operating on a far smaller financial footprint as they compete for a spot in an expected runoff against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — and try to block her from winning the nomination outright on May 19.
The most eye-popping filing belonged to Jackson, who disclosed he has now contributed roughly $73 million of his own fortune on the race for governor.
His filing charts the rapid escalation of his self-funded candidacy: a $50 million infusion when he entered the race in February, another $13 million on April 1, followed by a $10 million check at the end of April. Then he stroked another $10 million check for his campaign this week.
Jackson barely fundraised at all, bringing in only about $200,000 from outside donors. He still reported roughly $7.6 million cash on hand after spending nearly $66 million so far.
His chief rival, Jones, responded with his own financial flex.
The lieutenant governor, whose family operates a sprawling oil and insurance business, has lent himself $16 million total in this campaign while raising about $800,000 between his leadership committee and campaign account.
He ended the reporting period with roughly $2.1 million on hand after spending aggressively to keep pace with Jackson’s barrage. He has another $200,000 in his leadership committee.
The disclosures also show how expensive the Republican primary has become for contenders struggling to break through.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who already lent himself $5 million, disclosed another $1 million personal loan. He raised about $217,000, spent another $4.1 million and ended the period with about $2.5 million cash on hand.
Trailing in fourth place in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s latest poll, Attorney General Chris Carr reported raising roughly $400,000 while spending nearly $2.5 million. He ended with about $1 million remaining.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Carr’s donor list included Delta President Peter Carter and former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, reflecting backing from more mainstream Republicans in a race dominated by self-funded rivals.
On the Democratic side, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan reported raising roughly $550,000 and lending himself another $500,000 to finance television ads and campaign operations. He ended with about $821,000 cash on hand.
Former DeKalb County Chief Executive Michael Thurmond also disclosed a $200,000 personal loan to his campaign. Thurmond raised nearly $126,000 and finished the period with more than $421,000 in the bank.
His donor list reflected deep ties to Georgia’s Democratic establishment, including support from former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Evans and former Attorney General Thurbert Baker.
Former state Sen. Jason Esteves reported raising roughly $525,000 during the three-month period and spending just over $1 million. He ended with about $710,000 in the bank and reported no personal loans.
Bottoms reported the lowest cash total of all, after raising about $608,000 during the latest reporting period while spending more than $1.15 million as she tries to avoid a runoff in the Democratic race for governor. She ended April with roughly $251,000 cash on hand.
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