A close race for governor between incumbent Nathan Deal and state Sen. Jason Carter hasn’t changed the traditional political calculus for the thick-wallet statehouse set, according to a review by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday of campaign filings.
Campaign spending reports that started to roll in late last week show business associations with Capitol lobbyists have been ponying up big for Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in recent months while largely ignoring their Democratic challengers.
Not all reports are in - the deadline is Tuesday. None of the major statewide hopefuls have filed for the big fund-raising period between July 1 and Sept. 30, when candidates work double-time to raise money for the final election push.
But some trends can be found in the political action committees and the associations that have already filed.
Polls show a close race between Deal and Carter, even raising the possibility that neither will get enough votes Nov. 4 to avoid a runoff. But the Capitol crowd of lobbyists and special interest associations typically go with the incumbents, and Deal and Cagle are certainly finding that the case again this year. Very few Capitol interests have so far reported donating during the most recent filing period to Carter and Connie Stokes, the party’s lieutenant governor nominee.
Among the interests that have filed, Wal-Mart’s political action committee wrote $38,000 worth of checks on July 11, including more than $20,000 to Republican funds, $2,600 to Deal and $2,500 to Cagle. The company also contributed $4,000 to the Democratic Party. The apartment lobby reported giving the state GOP $10,000, Deal $6,300 and Cagle $6,300
Road contractor E.R. Snell reported giving Deal’s campaign $10,100 on Sept. 12 and $10,000 to the state GOP. The nursing home lobby, a huge financial backer of Deal and Cagle campaigns, reported donating $10,000 to the Republican Party. The Community Bankers Association reporting donating about $55,000 in the last three months, including $5,000 to Deal and $2,500 to Cagle.
Coca-Cola shared its campaign largess, giving $10,000 to the state GOP, but also $5,000 to a Democratic Party fund.
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