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Georgia has entered a new "Wild West" era of campaign finance, and Stacey Abrams has proven herself to be its most effective user.
Driving the news: Georgia’s new "leadership committees" — fundraising entities that aren't subject to limits on state campaign donations — were created by Republicans.
Why it matters: The state law, which Kemp signed last summer, heralded a new era for Georgia campaign strategy. Now, campaign fundraising from wealthy donors is essentially free of traditional constraints.
By the numbers: The largest contributors to Abrams' committee include $2.5 million from a George Soros-backed group and $1.5 million from the PAC of the voting rights policy advocacy group Abrams founded, Fair Fight Action.
Now, not only did Fair Fight's PAC make a contribution to One Georgia, but One Georgia is, in turn, receiving tens of thousands of dollars' worth of Fair Fight staff time for their work on the campaign's committee.
The other side: Kemp's leadership committee received its biggest contribution directly from Kemp's campaign account, followed by a Kemp-aligned Super PAC and national conservative donor Elizabeth Uihlein. The committee has spent much of its money on advertising and canvassing expenses.
💭 Axios' politics reporter Lachlan Markay's thought bubble: "Abrams' leadership committee success flips the script for political fundraising.
What they're saying: Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, who cosponsored the leadership committee bill, said the volume of Democratic funds isn’t surprising. But now those contributions and the coordination between groups, he argues, are easier to see. As he told Axios: "Everybody can see what's in the pot."
Meanwhile, other new leadership committees, including for the lieutenant governor candidates and the state majority and minority caucuses, have been created as well. But none has raised near as much money as Abrams or Kemp.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Stacey Abrams' campaign.
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