The Georgia GOP only has about $11,000
in the bank, January 12, 2016 |
Filed in: Georgia Republicans. This story was written with the AJC’s James Salzer:
The state Republican Party’s financial problems grew more dire in the final months of 2015,
leaving the dominant political force in Georgia mired in hundreds of thousands
of dollars in debt.
The Georgia GOP filed
an end-of-the-year report showing it had $11,403 cash on hand and was $231,000
in debt, in a startling revelation for a party that commanded millions just a
few election cycles ago.
Election victors are
usually in prime position to refill their campaign coffers – and then some –
after the votes. And Georgia Republicans have notched a string of victories,
sweeping every statewide office in both 2010 and 2014 while retaining big
majorities in the General Assembly.
But the state GOP has
been unable to capitalize on the wins, and the party’s bank account has
steadily depleted over the last six years. It had $2 million in the bank at the
start of 2010, $844,000 in early 2012 and $425,000 in 2014.
The fundraising
challenges factored into the re-election campaign of Athens businessman John
Padgett, who was first picked by Republican activists to run the party in 2013.
He won a narrow victory last year against a challenger who claimed the party had lost its edge.
Padgett has relied
upon former Rep. Jack Kingston to help the party restock its bank account, and
the Savannah Republican has organized events around the state featuring
national figures and statewide leaders. But one of the biggest events – a
planned “Second Amendment celebration” for October – was scrapped.
Party spokesman Ryan
Mahoney said in a statement that Padgett and Kingston are working to “raise
money and strengthen relationships with key donors throughout the state and
country.” He said he’s confident the GOP will have the resources to defend
Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is seeking a third term, and win back the
White House.
One party insider
blamed the big bills for campaign consultants who helped Padgett win his race.
“The party was very
successful when it was focused on beating Democrats,” said Justin Tomczak, a
Cobb GOP activist. “Now it seems like it’s shifted toward a patronage system.
They’re handing out checks to people who helped get the party chair in place.”
Republican consultant
Todd Rehm said Kingston exceeded the party’s fundraising goals by bringing in
more than $250,000 since he took charge of the GOP’s donor efforts.
“But there are
structural issues at the party not being addressed and he hasn’t been given the
leeway to do that,” said Rehm.
Others point to a lack
of urgency. With no Democratic opposition yet to Isakson, House Republicans
holding on to relatively safe seats and no all-out effort yet by Democratic
frontrunner Hillary Clinton to turn Georgia blue, they say there’s little
incentive for donors to open up their wallets.
The state Democratic
Party, which has recently suffered from its own fundraising problems, has not yet filed end-of-the-year
disclosures. But in a state filing in July it reported some $180,000 in the
bank and $2,100 in debt.
According to the
end-of-the-year disclosure report, the state GOP owes money to a host of
creditors, including roughly $60,000 in credit card debt to BB&T Financial
and $6,300 in rent to ASI Properties.
The party also lists
owing $6,000 to Dentons, the powerful law firm that includes Gov. Nathan Deal’s
campaign lawyer, Randy Evans, and $35,000 to the law firm of the party’s
general counsel, Anne Lewis.
The state party also
listed $25,200 in deferred payments for communications consulting to Sugarcane
Strategies, the company helmed by Mahoney, the party’s longtime spokesman.
Comments
The
Georgia GOP has a spending problem.
The GOP
Establishment retained control of the State Party organization again by
unnecessarily stretching out the State Convention meeting’s last day. They had
prepared ballots, but went to a standing vote claiming a lack of time to use
the ballots. That way they could assure that nobody broke ranks.
The lack
of contributions by rank and file Republicans is caused by their disapproval of
its Establishment State Party leaders. The rank and file give their money
directly to candidates. They are tired of Republican politicians campaigning as
conservatives and voting like Democrats on the State and National levels. The
corporations, special interest groups and the chamber of communists’ political
contributions are too big for the rank and file to compete with. Perhaps the
real conservatives will take over the Party in 2016.
We have
lots of bad laws on the books and need to repeal these laws, but the
Establishment is not interested. Most of the Bills passed in Georgia only give
more power to cities and counties and breaks to special interests. There are no
bills to reverse the trend of limiting voter control over local decisions,
spending priorities and property rights. The Braves deal in Cobb County
revealed that county commissions can borrow whatever they want without voter
approval. Regionalism needs to be repealed and Conservation Easements need to
be outlawed. We need a bill that would give Georgia the right to refuse
refugees and nullify bad federal laws and regulations to protect us from EPA
and HUD overreach.
Last
year, the Nanny State was advanced by the Community Supervision reorganization
to insulate the Child Destructive Services crowd and deny parents the right to
protect their families through the courts. This year, the State will pass an
Education bill that does not make students accountable or put parents, teachers
and principals in charge of education.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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