Democrat Stacey Abrams will report raising about $1.7 million over the last seven months, bringing her total fundraising haul for her campaign for governor to roughly $2.2 million.
Her campaign did not immediately disclose how much cash on hand she will report in race for the Democratic nomination against former state Rep. Stacey Evans. The contributions came from more than 14,000 donors.
While fundraising isn’t everything, the figures are important gauges of a candidate’s viability in this year’s races. It also sends a message to influential activists and donors still waiting to pick a side.
Abrams, a former House Democratic leader, wasn't able to pull away from Evans in last year's disclosure despite a record as a proven fundraiser with a national profile. She raised about $540,000 in that report - slightly more money than Evans but with less cash on hand.
Evans has yet to report her figures for the period that spans from July 2017 through the end of January.
The Republican side of the race is awash with cash. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle set a high bar by reporting earlier this month he's raised a total of nearly $7 million since jumping in the race – a sum that his rivals from both parties seem unlikely to match.
Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who raised nearly $2 million in his first report, is under pressure to try to keep pace with Cagle. And state Sen. Michael Williams may dig deeper into his own wallet to boost the $1 million of his cash he's already spent.
Read more: What to watch as Georgia candidates file campaign cash
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