Mid-Elections 2022: Georgia’s new campaign funds the Wild West

Georgia has entered a new “Wild West” era of campaign finance, and Stacey Abrams has proven to be its most effective user.

Driving the news: Georgia’s new “Governing Committees” — fundraising bodies that have no restrictions on state campaign contributions — were created by Republicans.

Why it matters: The state law that Kemp signed into law last summer ushered in a new era for Georgia’s campaign strategy. Now fundraising for campaigns from wealthy donors is essentially free of traditional constraints.

  • Crucially, these unlimited governing bodies are able to coordinate directly with campaigns.

Using the numbers: Among the top donors to the Abrams committee are $2.5 million from a George Soros-backed group and $1.5 million from the PAC of Abrams-founded voting policy advocacy group Fair Fight Action.

  • In previous election cycles, when campaign donations were capped at $7,600 by a committee, a group like Fair Fight could not have unlimited direct support of a campaign-controlled organization.

Now, Not only did Fair Fight’s PAC contribute to One Georgia, but One Georgia in return receives tens of thousands of dollars worth of time from Fair Fight employees for their work on the campaign’s committee.

  • Contributors include a number of Hollywood names including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, as well as Melinda Gates and national unions including IBEW.

The other side: Kemp’s Executive Committee received its largest contribution directly from Kemp’s campaign account, followed by a Kemp-affiliated Super PAC and National Conservative donor Elizabeth Uihlein. The committee has spent much of its money on advertising and publicity.

💭 Axios’ political reporter Lachlan Markay’s thought bubble: “The success of Abrams’ executive committee turns the political fundraising script on its head.

  • At the national level, Republicans tend to rely on independent political groups funded by high-paying donors, while Democrats lean more on “hard” money raised through a solid grassroots fundraising operation.
  • The huge donations from out of state to the Abrams executive committee underscores their high national standing—and that of the race.”

What you say: Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, who co-sponsored the Guidance Committee’s bill, said the amount of funding received by Democrats was not surprising. But now these contributions and coordination between groups are easier to see, he argues. As he told Axios, “Everyone can see what’s in the pot.”

  • “But it’s nice to know and see and see what exactly is going on here. That’s how the money flows from one pot to another,” he said.

In the meantime, Other new leadership committees, including for nominees for lieutenant governor and for majority and minority state caucuses, were also established. But none have raised nearly as much money as Abrams or Kemp.