The money race: House incumbents lead in Georgia, with one exception

With roughly a month to go until primary day in Georgia, candidates in some of the state’s most competitive congressional races have begun to lap the field in fundraising.

While the incumbents in most races have the edge, that is not the case in Georgia’s 13th District, where U.S. Rep. David Scott continues to report paltry fundraising numbers as he seeks a 13th term in office. One challenger, state Rep. Jasmine Clark, surpassed the $1 million mark during the first quarter of the year.

And in the state’s four open House seats, clear front-runners among the crowded fields are emerging with campaign accounts that dwarf their competition.

Below is a roundup of the state of play in selected primaries, according to reports recently filed with the Federal Election Commission.

1st District Republicans

Jim Kingston, who recently received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, reported raising $200,000 during the first three months of the year.

That is more than the four next highest Republicans combined.

Kingston ended the quarter with nearly $1.3 million in cash on hand. The only other Republican candidate who had more than $100,000 in the bank is former Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Farrell, with $410,072 in cash on hand. He lent his campaign $500,000 upon its launch.

9th District Republicans

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde leads the field in fundraising in his reelection bid, but Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon is close behind.

Clyde reported raising $104,592 last quarter and ended the period with $337,733 in cash on hand. Couvillon collected $76,760 in donations and has $220,096 left at the end of the period.

Couvillon has raised more than Clyde overall, with $679,809 in donations, compared to $553,573 for Clyde.

Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole’s campaign has cooled with just $7,924 raised during the quarter.

10th District Republicans

State Rep. Houston Gaines has the backing of Trump and other Republican Party leaders in this race for an open House seat. He also has a clear fundraising advantage headed into the primary.

Gaines raised $283,762 in the period ending March 31 and has $1.5 million in cash on hand.

Movie studio executive Ryan Millsap launched his campaign at the beginning of March and reported very little fundraising during the month. Millsap raised just $2,580 in donations to go with a $250,000 loan he made to his campaign.

He spent most of it immediately, ending the quarter with $8,564 in the bank.

11th District Republicans

U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk surprised constituents when he announced in February that he would not seek another term. Quickly, a host of challengers launched their campaign.

Leading the pack in fundraising is former Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore, who raised $431,752 during the quarter. But Dr. John Cowan, who ran unsuccessfully in the 14th District in 2020, has more cash on hand after lending his campaign $1.5 million.

Cowan has $1.4 million in his account compared to Pridemore’s $399,496.

13th District Democrats

U.S. Rep. David Scott qualified to run for reelection and has repeatedly said he has no plans to bow out of the race. But he is not actively campaigning, avoiding the forums and neighborhood canvassing that occupy most candidates’ evenings and weekends.

And Scott, who lives in Atlanta, is raising very little money. What donations have come in have been almost exclusively tied to corporations and special interest political committees, not individual donors.