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Gov. Nathan Deal’s re-election campaign raised far less cash in the past three months than his Democratic rival, a rarity for a sitting governor in a state where incumbency generally translates into big war chests.
Deal's campaign said Tuesday that it raised $1.3 million between April and June, with $2.6 million in cash on hand in the four months ahead of the November contest. His challenger, Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter, raised more than $2 million in the same time frame and has $1.8 million in the bank.
In a long and heated campaign, polls and fundraising figures are among the few metrics that can gauge a candidate’s popularity. And with polls showing a thin margin between the two, both measures signal an increasingly tight race for Georgia’s next governor.
The surprising results are difficult for Deal’s campaign to spin, which helps explain why they were released around 8 p.m. Tuesday, four hours before the deadline. But the campaign cited the governor’s hectic schedule, a trade mission to Israel and fundraising events he headlined for other GOP organizations as reasons his total may not have been higher.
For Deal, it underscores his challenges against a well-financed campaign. Carter may never be able to match Deal blow for blow over the long haul, but the latest figures show the two will compete through the summer on a more level playing field. The governor said at an event in Augusta that he remained confident in his campaign’s fundraising operation.
“Obviously, any time a political opponent raises a significant amount of money, I am concerned. I saw some of his solicitations for funds asking people to give him $1 so he could increase his number of contributors. A dollar is a dollar,” the governor said. “But nevertheless, we’ve done a pretty good job of raising money on our own. And we have every reason to believe we’ll continue to be successful.”
For Carter, the fundraising numbers prove his network can hold its own — and then some — against the governor’s team. With help from his grandfather former President Jimmy Carter, the state senator has tapped a rich vein of donors who believe in his chances in November or are at least willing to hedge their bets.
“There is no question that the momentum in this race is firmly on our side,” Matt McGrath, Carter’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “Georgia voters are ready for a new direction, and they are enthusiastic about getting behind Jason’s vision for the state’s future.”
A post-session blitz
Both candidates aimed to spend significant time restocking their campaign coffers after the end of the legislative session, when they are barred from raising funds.
Carter’s camp organized fundraisers across the state and also sent a slew of online solicitations to donors, including a few emails tied to the World Cup.
The governor also attended fundraisers across the state, including an event with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But Deal spokeswoman Jen Talaber said the governor also juggled a busy schedule, raising money for other GOP interests, some of which will benefit his campaign. And she noted that the governor had to defend himself against two GOP competitors in the May 20 primary while Carter had no Democratic challenger.
“With the primary, bill review and the trade mission behind us, the campaign is in a strong position heading into the general election,” she said.
About 85 percent of Deal’s donors who gave more than $100 during this period came from within the state, which the campaign said is a sign of his strong showing in Georgia. Almost one-third of Carter’s contributions came from outside Georgia, including 13 percent from California, where he did particularly well in Hollywood circles.
Help from outsiders
The governor, though, has enjoyed far more support from outside groups than his Democratic challenger. The Republican Governors Association has already spent $1.5 million on a pro-Deal ad blitz, and a super PAC called the Georgia Victory Fund is gearing up to help the governor.
Carter, meanwhile, has raised more than $65,000 from unions — long-standing Democratic donors — during the past three months. But their financial firepower has so far been unable to match the bankroll of the state GOP, which also played a vital role in promoting Gov. Sonny Perdue’s re-election bid in 2006 against a well-financed Democratic opponent.
Still, Deal's fundraising figures turned heads in Georgia political circles. Consider that Perdue raised about $2 million between April and June in his re-election bid — no insurmountable figure. But he had $9 million in the bank at this stage in the race, more than three times Deal's amount.
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