Candidates for Georgia’s top offices faced a Friday deadline to report how much cash they raised in 2019 as they pivot to an election year.
A few eagerly trumpeted their fundraising totals in advance, but most held their totals close to the vest as long as they could. Though fundraising is one component of a campaign, it’s an important test of a candidate’s strength that donors, party officials and activists watch closely.
As the election looms, Democrats competing to challenge U.S. Sen. David Perdue are scrambling to emerge from a jumbled field, while the Republican incumbent aims to distance himself from the pack.
In Georgia’s other U.S. Senate contest, Democrat Matt Lieberman wants to show he’s a formidable challenger to Kelly Loeffler before he’s joined by a higher-profile contender who could soak up more money and attention. (U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and Rev. Raphael Warnock’s campaigns are too new to disclose this reporting period.)
Down the ticket, candidates in Georgia’s volatile U.S. House contests are jockeying for front-runner status in crowded campaigns. And state officials who won’t face an election until 2022 seek an early financial edge.
Here’s a look at disclosures from the latest fundraising quarter, which spans from October through December. We will update the tally as reports trickle in:
Georgia Senate – Perdue race
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue raised $1.9 million in the fourth quarter and reported about $7.8 million in his campaign account.
Democrat Jon Ossoff raised $1 million over the last three months, and he has $1.5 million in his campaign coffers.
Democrat Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, raised $532,462 this period and has $319,044 in cash on hand.
Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico raised roughly $140,000 in the last quarter and loaned herself another $365,000. She has about $470,000 in cash on hand, and has pumped $765,000 of her own cash into the campaign.
Democrat Maya Dillard Smith, former head of the Georgia ACLU, raised $6,902 during this period and ended with about the same amount in cash on hand.
Georgia Senate – Loeffler race
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler reported raising about $450,000 in the month since she was tapped to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp. She also pumped $5 million of her own cash into the race to end the quarter with roughly $5.4 million in her account.
Democrat Matt Lieberman reported raising more than $700,000 since he entered the race in October. He has about $370,000 in cash on hand.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and Rev. Raphael Warnock both entered the race in January, after the latest reporting period.
Georgia 6th District race
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath raised nearly $1 million in the fourth quarter. She has roughly $2 million in her campaign account.
Republican Karen Handel, a former U.S. House member, raised $300,000 over the same period. She has $830,000 in cash on hand.
Georgia 7th District race
Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux said she raised more than $310,000 during the latest fundraising period, and will start the year with about $860,000 in cash on hand.
Democratic state Sen. Zahra Karinshak, collected about $160,000 in her first three months in the race. She pumped another $150,000 of her own money into her campaign. She’s got $420,000 in cash on hand.
Democratic state Rep. Brenda Lopez Romero raised $33,000 and has about $42,000 in her campaign account.
Democrat Nabilah Islam received $87,415 in campaign contributions. She ended the year with $59,174 on hand.
Republican Lynne Homrich submitted a report showing she raised $111,968 this period and has $398,751 in total to spend.
Republican Rich McCormick raised about $60,000 and loaned his campaign another $85,000 the last quarter. He has roughly $530,000 in cash on hand.
Another Republican in the race, Mark Gonsalves, raised $120,252. He had $126,063 in cash on hand.
Republican state Sen. Renee Unterman, raised just $76,593 last quarter. But she has $765,191 left in her campaign account.
Republican Jacqueline Tseng raised $2,425 and loaned her campaign $15,000. She has less than $2,000 in cash on hand.
Republican Joe Profit raised $87,507 and wrote a check for $37,200 to his campaign. He ended the period with $191,582 in his account.
