Just 14 Percent of Stacey Abrams' Contributions Come From Georgians

Although Georgia gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams has reported raising nearly $50 million, just 14%, or about $7 million, of it has come from Peach State donors, according to Axios.

Donations from California totaled $10 million – more than any other state – and Washington, D.C. gave the candidate $6.4 million.

Abrams pulled in $3.6 million from New York and her haul from Delaware totaled $2.5 million, according to Axios.

The news outlet reports that a significant chunk of Abrams’ in-state contributions, or $1.5 million, came from Fair Fight, a voting policy group that was founded by the candidate herself.

Abrams has reported more than 30,000 donations from Georgians this year, which is more than double the number of in-state contributions to incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp during the same period, and is entering the final stretch of the race with more cash on hand than her rival. According to Axios, the governor was prohibited from fund-raising for three months this year while the state legislature was in session.

The Progressive Democrat’s celebrity status, which rose substantially since her 2018 gubernatorial run, has given her access to Hollywood donors, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Melinda Gates. In June, a group of entertainment industry personalities held a Los Angeles fundraiser for Abrams at the home of John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen.

Breitbart reports that Abrams received $2.5 million from George Soros’ Democracy PAC and $200,000 from Gates.

If the trend continues, Abrams would be the only gubernatorial candidate from either party in Georgia since at least the 1990s to receive the majority of campaign donations from out of state, according to an Axios analysis of campaign finance records.

By contrast, Kemp has raised more than $26 million from in-state donors, or 83% of the $31.5 million total, since the Republican incumbent began raising money for his reelection battle in 2019.

Tate Mitchell, Kemp’s campaign press secretary, told Breitbart, “Stacey Abrams’ campaign is bankrolled by out-of-state billionaires in California and New York and far-left radicals who want to bring the failed policies of Washington, D.C., to Georgia.”

“Governor Kemp is proud that an overwhelming majority of our campaign’s funds come from our state, and he’ll continue fighting to put Georgians and their families first,” Mitchell added.

Alex Floyd, a spokesman for the Abrams campaign, told Axios they are "proud to have more Georgia donors than any other candidate in this race."

“Even after Brian Kemp and his right-wing allies rigged our campaign finance laws to give himself unlimited money, our grassroots supporters have fueled our campaign from every corner of the state,” he said, referring to the leadership committee structure Georgia Republicans established last year, which allows certain candidates and officials to fund-raise without limits.

While her campaign has denied that she will make a 2024 presidential run if she wins her race for the governorship, Abrams’ fundraising profile is more indicative of a leading national candidate than a state gubernatorial challenger, according to Axios.

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