Stacey Abrams raises over $9M since launching bid for Georgia governor

Democrat Stacey Abrams raked in more than $9 million in the two months since she launched her second campaign for Georgia governor, setting a breakneck fundraising pace that far exceeds that of her longtime political foe and potential general election rival, Gov. Brian Kemp (R). 

Abrams raised more than $9.25 million since her Dec. 1 announcement, drawing contributions from more than 100,000 donors. She has $7.2 million left in the bank, her campaign said on Wednesday. 

Abrams, a voting rights activist and superstar in Democratic circles who came within 55,000 votes of winning the governor’s mansion in 2018, is seen as a shoo-in for the party’s nomination this year. She has virtually universal name recognition in Georgia and faces no primary competition. 

Kemp, meanwhile, faces an aggressive primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who launched his campaign for governor at the behest of former President Trump. Trump vowed to campaign against Kemp after the Georgia governor rebuffed the former president’s pleas to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. 

Still, Kemp has proved to be a strong fundraiser himself. His campaign announced this week that he raised more than $7.4 million between July 1 and Jan. 31. He has more than $12.7 million in the bank. 

Perdue hasn’t yet said how much he has raised. His campaign has filed a lawsuit challenging a new law that allows party leaders like Kemp to create so-called “leadership committees” that can raise unlimited amounts of money. That lawsuit argues that the law gives the incumbent governor an unfair advantage.