Super PAC donations
Georgians contributed more than $4.2 million to super PACs helping 2016 presidential candidates in the first half of this year. Here’s a look at how many contributions and how much money each PAC raised:
Right to Rise (former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush)
Contributions: 266
Total raised: $2.84 million
National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee (Ben Carson)
Contributions: 1,268
Total raised: $67,506.95
The 2016 Committee (Carson)
Contributions: 64
Total raised: $20,273.75
Keep the Promise (Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz)
Contributions: 1
Total raised: $20,000
New Day for America (Ohio Gov. John Kasich)
Contributions: 3
Total raised: $500
America’s Liberty (Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul)
Contributions: 1
Total raised: $1,000
Conservative Solutions (Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio)
Contributions: 2
Total raised:$500,250
Our American Revival (Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker)
Contributions: 13
Total raised: $138,250
Unintimidated (Walker)
Contributions: 10
Total raised: $700,000
Five wealthy Georgians put down six-figure donations toward their favorite presidential candidates, according to new disclosures from the unlimited-donation “super PACs” that have become requisite campaign accessories.
In the case of Georgia’s most prolific donor so far, billionaire Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, that’s candidates, plural. Marcus, of Atlanta, put $1 million into a super PAC backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and an additional $600,000 into two outside groups supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Both men are considered among the top candidates for the Republican nomination.
Like he did nationally, Bush set the pace in super PAC funding from Georgia by a wide margin, bringing in $2.84 million from Georgians in the first half of 2015. That is in addition to the $319,000 Georgians gave directly to Bush's campaign, also tops among Republicans.
The big-money action was entirely on the Republican side of the ledger: Super PACs promoting Hillary Clinton and other Democrats running for president reported no donations from Georgia. Clinton’s campaign set the pace in Georgia by raising $600,000 from the state in its early months, but that sum can be offset by a single mega-donor check to a Super PAC.
In all, Georgians gave more than $4.28 million to super PACs for seven Republican candidates: Bush, Walker, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
Richard Jackson, the CEO of Jackson Healthcare in Alpharetta, put $500,000 into the pro-Bush Right to Rise PAC. Jim Rubright, the former CEO of packaging goods company Rock-Tenn, gave $500,000 to the Conservative Solutions PAC backing Rubio.
Efforts to reach Marcus and Jackson were unsuccessful.
Developer Robin Loudermilk Jr., the former CEO of rent-to-own company Aaron’s, gave $100,000 to Bush’s Right to Rise. The CEO of regenerative medicine company MiMedx, Pete Petit, donated $100,000 to the pro-Walker Unintimidated PAC.
Outside groups can accept unlimited donations but are legally prevented from coordinating their spending with campaigns. But this cycle, campaigns are delegating more than just television ads to the groups, which are taking on organizing and rapid-response tasks.
That is particularly the case for Bush’s Right to Rise, which pulled in a staggering $100 million in the first half of the year. Its Georgia donors included Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO John Brock ($50,000); Philip Wilheit Sr., a packaging company owner in Gainesville and close ally of Gov. Nathan Deal’s ($5,000); and former George W. Bush administration Ambassador to Australia Robert McCallum ($5,000), who now lives in Atlanta.
John Dyer, the CEO of Cox Enterprises, which owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, gave $5,000 to Right to Rise.
Walker’s Unintimidated PAC got a $10,000 boost from former Georgia Revenue Commissioner Doug MacGinnitie. A super PAC supporting Cruz got its only Georgia donation ($20,000) from Sandy Springs-based Strata Products Worldwide, which makes mine safety products.
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