The race for Governor of Georgia is heating up, and so are the fundraising efforts of both Republicans and Democrats. And while Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams has raised almost $50 million for her gubernatorial race, national reports are showing that only 14 percent (or $7 million) of those funds come from residents of the Peach State.
The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that nearly half the money raised by Abrams’s campaign and leadership committee ($22.7 million) “came from donors in three deep-blue states and one liberal territory that wants to be a state but never will: California ($10.2 million), Washington, D.C. ($6.4 million), New York ($3.6 million), and Delaware ($2.5 million).” The Free Beacon adds that “The result is not entirely surprising given that Abrams recently described Georgia as ‘the worst state in the country to live.’”
Axios, a national news website, reports that Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has raised $31.5 million in his bid for re-election and that $26.2 million (83 percent) comes from Georgia donors.
According to the Axios report, Abrams’ celebrity, “which has skyrocketed since her 2018 race, has given her access to a new realm of donors, including names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Melinda Gates. A group of entertainment industry luminaries held a Los Angeles fundraiser for Abrams in June. Abrams has reported getting more money this cycle from California than any other state, Axios said.
The report goes on to state that Abrams has also taken full advantage of the new leadership committee structure. which allows unlimited contributions to an entity that can coordinate directly with campaigns. Top donors to her leadership committee, One Georgia, include California philanthropist Karla Jurvetson and a PAC bankrolled by financier George Soros. Each provided $2.5 million, the report says.
A press release sent out Monday by super PAC Stop Stacey Inc. says “Abrams’ most recent fundraising report shows that liberal millionaires and billionaires outside of the Peach State are the ones bankrolling her campaign. Clearly, Stacey Abrams is a pawn of out-of-state special interests and activists, and they will control her every move if elected this November.”
Axios reports concludes by starting, “If the trend holds, Abrams would be the only Georgia gubernatorial nominee from either party since at least the 1990s to receive a majority of campaign funds from out of state.”
