Every fundraising deadline is a test for ambitious Georgia candidates. But the latest cutoff, which arrived Monday, presents a particularly critical set of challenges for contenders up and down the ballot.
Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, the first major candidate to announce plans to run for governor, aims to make the most out of his head start, but big-name rivals are looming. For Democrats, the period offers a chance to prove they can build a competitive operation in a shifting political climate.
In the high-stakes U.S. Senate race, the two leading GOP candidates — Insurance Commissioner John King and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter — are under pressure to show they’re gaining traction as other contenders hover on the sidelines.
That task is complicated by Gov. Brian Kemp’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering. He has privately asked top donors to “keep your powder dry” as he tries to broker an endorsement deal with President Donald Trump.
The Republicans are up against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a proven fundraising juggernaut with $11 million already banked. But Ossoff is working with the expectation that he’ll need to raise many times that amount to hold onto one of the nation’s most competitive Senate seats.
Further down the ballot, candidates for lieutenant governor, and in state House and state Senate races are eager to post impressive numbers to scare off challengers and assert themselves as front-runners before the field solidifies.
Analysts say the rounds of fundraising reports trickling out in the coming days could be a major dividing line. Monday’s fundraising deadline covers April through June, and candidates must disclose their donations by mid-July.
“It can signal to major donors and grassroots supporters that you’re the real deal, that you have the capability to be a significant candidate,” said Joshua Edmonds, a veteran GOP strategist. “This report is going to speak volumes.”
Here’s a closer look at the top races:
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Governor
Carr stunned insiders by entering the race for governor in mid-November, launching one of the earliest bids for the state’s top job in modern Georgia history.
He had reason to get an early jump. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is expected to enter within weeks, and Jones has an edge that Carr can’t match: A political fundraising tool that allows wealthy donors and corporations to contribute unlimited amounts of money.
Carr banked more than $2.2 million during his first few weeks of campaigning, but this report will show whether a busy schedule of fundraisers and donor calls has paid off.
Jones, meanwhile, has used the time to try to build on the $2.5 million he’s collected in his leadership committee — a financial vehicle that’s transformed Georgia politics since it was enacted in 2021.
The Republican-backed law allows the governor and lieutenant governor and legislative leaders from both parties to raise unlimited funds. But it excludes other statewide officials — including the attorney general.
That means Carr and other candidates for Georgia’s top job are capped at maximum individual donations of $8,400 for the May 2026 primary, unless he can successfully challenge the law in court.
Democrats face a different test. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is the best-known contender in the race, and she can tap an extensive donor network and use her close ties to former President Joe Biden.
State Sen. Jason Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat, has worked to lock up early support and undercut Bottoms’ base with a steady stream of donor events. He reported collecting $1.1 million over roughly two months, a strong showing he hopes proves to state and national donors he’s the most viable Democrat in the race.
Party power brokers in both camps are watching for signs of weakness. A lackluster haul could open the doors to others, including Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and two-time Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams, to enter the race.
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Senate
Did Kemp’s plea to his supporters to “give us time” to work out a Senate endorsement deal with Trump dissuade donors from backing the two main GOP contenders? We’re about to find out.
The impact on Carter would be more muted. A wealthy pharmacist, he has told GOP allies he’s willing to spend more than $10 million of his own fortune on a bid. But King has been working the phones for weeks, eager to prove he can raise the money needed to be competitive.
Other candidates are waiting in the wings if they falter — or even if they don’t. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson is inching toward a bid. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger might run, too. And former football coach Derek Dooley is exploring a run.
Ossoff’s eye-popping $11 million first-quarter haul showcased the breadth of his fundraising machine, which leaned heavily on out-of-state donors and small-dollar contributions. His campaign labeled him “MAGA’s top target.”
“In 2020, the pundits said flipping a Republican Senate seat in Georgia couldn’t be done. But we built one of the strongest voter mobilization programs in Senate campaign history — and we won,” read one Ossoff appeal. “Now we must win again. And we will win again.”
Credit: AJC file photos
Credit: AJC file photos
U.S. House
Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott has never been known as a prolific fundraiser. But his last report — which included just two individual donations in the first quarter — has emboldened challengers in his deep-blue district.
Three well-known Democrats have already jumped in with calls for generational change and a more confrontational approach to Trump. Scott, 80, has vowed to run again, despite concerns about his health.
In coastal Georgia, executive Jim Kingston is trying to prove he’s the GOP candidate to beat in the open race to replace Carter. And former Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon hopes to put up big numbers in a GOP primary against U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a gun store owner known for his ultraconservative stances.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Other state offices
Elsewhere on the ballot, contenders are looking to send early messages of strength.
Three GOP state senators jockeying for lieutenant governor are carving up an overlapping donor base. Competitive Republican primaries are also taking shape in the races for attorney general and other statewide offices.
And at the legislative level, incumbents are already preparing for stiff challenges. State Rep. Esther Panitch, a centrist Democrat who is the Legislature’s only Jewish member, issued an urgent fundraising appeal warning about an impending primary fight.
“The far left is targeting my race,” she wrote. “Please help me push back.”
And, as Edmonds pointed out, the field for races up and down the ticket is far from settled.
“No one thinks the slate is finalized.”
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