Washington heavyweights and out-of-state donors showered Democrat Jason Carter with enough money to give him a 5-to-1 fundraising advantage over Gov. Nathan Deal during the 11 days after the legislative session. But the slim fortunes of down-ticket Democratic candidates show just how shallow the party’s donor roots are.
As Carter and Michelle Nunn, the party’s front-runner for an open U.S. Senate seat, each amassed more than $1 million in their campaign coffers, several statewide Democratic candidates have failed to raise a dime since qualifying to run in early March.
That presents challenges for a party hoping a strong ticket would boost turnout in a state where Republicans still hold an electoral advantage. Party leaders who scurried to draft a full slate of candidates may now have to worry about how to finance their runs against entrenched Republican incumbents.
Read the full story, and find out some of Carter's surprising donors, at myajc.com.