Chris Carr suing Burt Jones over unlimited fundraising edge

Jones spokesman Kendyl Parker noted that Carr’s office defended the state against several challenges to the fundraising law, which was championed by Gov. Brian Kemp and passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2021.

“Georgia’s lackluster attorney general defended this law two years ago. Now, he’s running for governor and wants to challenge the same law he once defended,” said Parker. “If hypocrisy were an Olympic sport, he’d take gold.”

As attorney general, Carr is constitutionally bound to represent the state when it is sued.

The law allows governors, lieutenant governors, party nominees for those posts and legislative leaders to create leadership committees that can raise unlimited cash — even during the legislative session, when other state officials are barred from fundraising. The law excludes other statewide officials, including Carr. In just a few years, it has dramatically reshaped how political campaigns are financed.

Jones, as the sitting lieutenant governor, entered the governor’s race in July with $14 million in his leadership committee — a total that included a $10 million loan to himself. Carr’s campaign has aggressively criticized the loan, calling it “unethical” and “mysterious.” The state ethics commission dismissed a recent complaint from Carr about its origin.

The lawsuit echoes past court fights over the law.

In 2022, both Republican David Perdue and Democrat Stacey Abrams filed suits arguing that Kemp’s leadership committee gave him an unfair advantage during the primary and general elections. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen sided with both challengers, temporarily blocking Kemp from using the committee until he secured the GOP nomination.

Even so, once the primary was over, the law took full effect — and Kemp and Abrams combined to raise nearly $100 million through their leadership committees in the 2022 cycle.

Other lawsuits challenging the legality of leadership committees have been unsuccessful. Most recently, Cohen rejected a challenge brought by the Libertarian and Green parties.

That lawsuit argued the law illegally disadvantages their parties and candidates by allowing only Republicans and Democrats to raise unlimited cash next year. Cohen dismissed that lawsuit last month, saying the injuries allegedly suffered by the parties were too speculative — in part because they named no specific candidates or contributors who would be harmed. The parties have appealed that ruling.

The Carr campaign’s lawsuit seeks to block Jones from using his leadership committee during the GOP primary, prevent him from repaying a $10 million loan with donor funds, and asks a judge to appoint an independent monitor to oversee all future financial activity tied to the committee.

The suit lists $170,000 Jones collected from lobbyists, executives and companies during the 40-day legislative session.

“Leadership committees were never intended to be unregulated campaign machines,” Carr spokeswoman Julia Mazzone said.

“The court has ruled on this before, and the Constitution prohibits exactly what’s happening here,” she said. “We’re taking action to uphold transparency and accountability standards.”