Veteran Gwinnett County Sen. Don Balfour is being challenged by two Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary, but the lawmaker found not guilty of theft charges in court last year is already making a political comeback of sorts with all the right people at the statehouse.
Campaign records reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution show Balfour has collected more than $60,000 in contributions of $1,000 or more since April 1.
Among his big donors: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, and a host of statehouse lobbyists and big companies with interests at the Capitol.
His latest donor list includes Koch Industries, Georgia Power, Home Depot, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, AT&T, AFLAC, Comcast, Coca-Cola, and lobbies for groups like the car dealers, dentists, Realtors and trial lawyers.
Balfour, nicknamed “Donnie Ballgame” because of his penchant for attending sporting events using tickets given to him by statehouse lobbyists, didn’t really need the extra campaign money. His campaign listed having $675,000 in the bank as of the end of March, dwarfing his opponents’ cash.
But Balfour hadn’t been raising a lot of money since being indicted on charges of claiming state expense money he didn’t earn. That all changed when a jury found him not guilty in December, and he was welcomed back into the Senate for the 2014 session.
Balfour, a Snellville Republican, was always one of the chamber’s top political fundraisers, and the recent reports indicate he’s making a comeback in that area too.
He faces P.K. Martin and Michael Beaudreau in Tuesday’s primary.
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