It’s only just begun, but Georgia’s 2014 race for governor is already a nearly $10 million affair with more than 5,000 donors and a legion of big-spending corporate sponsors.
Financial disclosures released Wednesday offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the powerful forces at play in the race that pits Republican Gov. Nathan Deal against three rivals.
For Deal, like most officeholders, the power of incumbency is a mighty perk. He took in $4 million over the past six months and has roughly that much left in his campaign account. And many of the deep-pocket big shots at the Capitol — businesses with state contracts or pushing legislation — loaded up Deal’s coffers.
That Deal would have financial heft behind his campaign was never in doubt. In all, he's raised more than $7.5 million since winning the office. But his report of a relatively paltry sum of $1.1 million in his campaign coffers at June's end — less money than Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed — was seen as a potential vulnerability by his rivals.
Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter and two Republicans, Dalton Mayor David Pennington and state School Superintendent John Barge, have all launched challenges since then, seeking to harangue the governor over education policy, economic development and ethics.
Not surprisingly, Barge and Pennington trail far behind. Pennington has raised roughly $327,000 since announcing his bid and added an additional $46,700 through a loan. Many of his donors are from Dalton, putting him at risk of being branded a parochial candidate. Barge still hadn’t released any fundraising information by late Wednesday, but his campaign tamped down expectations.
Carter, though, will have more formidable resources. He raised $1.3 million in the seven weeks since he announced his candidacy in November, and he'll have allies in Washington and Atlanta ready to add more to help the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter.
The younger Carter’s supporters include former Gov. Roy Barnes, who gave him more than $25,000; people with ties to his famous grandfather, including several Carter Center executives; and relatives, who chipped in at least $30,000. An additional $250,000 came from out-of-state supporters.
Deal had to put in some work to keep the fundraising spigot flowing. The governor has hit the rubber chicken circuit hard in recent months, a task those close to him say he doesn’t relish. But that outreach has extended to some surprising outlets of support.
The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, whose members tend to skew to the left, recently held a holiday fundraiser in the governor’s honor. The group also tacked on a $5,000 donation. A selling point with the lawyers is Deal’s avowedly neutral stance over a medical malpractice overhaul that they fear.
“Obviously, a number of trial lawyers will support Senator Carter as he is a member of our association and he has been a champion on civil justice issues in the Legislature,” said Bill Clark, the association’s chief lobbyist. “But I think folks will be surprised at how much support Governor Deal has among the trial bar.”
Other sources were more traditional. One of the biggest was WellCare, a health care company that was paid more than $1.9 billion by the Department of Community Health for services in 2013, according to state records. WellCare contributed $12,600 to the Deal campaign, and it earlier added $50,000 to a political action committee with ties to the governor.
Utilities and energy companies, always big donors, didn’t miss the incumbency bandwagon, either. AGL gave $9,350; Georgia’s electric co-operatives contributed $6,500; the oil industry’s lobby pitched in $5,000; AT&T’s political action committee contributed $1,300; and Georgia Power employees chipped in $1,000.
Other companies with stakes in high-profile legislation ponied up. Jet-maker Gulfstream, which has benefited from tax breaks signed by Deal, contributed $10,100 to his campaign. And Publix, which pushed for Sunday alcohol sales in stores, an issue that stalled until Deal became governor, chipped in $2,500.
The dilemma for Deal is whether to use the money in the Republican primary or save it for what’s expected to be a hard-fought general election in November. With no competition for the Democratic nomination, Carter can hold his fire — and television ads are the costliest expenses — toward the end of the campaign season.
Deal’s campaign, for now, isn’t dropping hints about its strategy. And the fundraising for both Deal and Carter will taper down, as both are prohibited from raising cash during the legislative session. But Tom Willis, Deal’s campaign manager, said support from residents in 122 of Georgia’s 159 counties sent a different sort of signal.
“They are confident he is leading our state in the right direction and will stay the course,” he said.
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