Atlanta (AP) —Thursday, a federal judge ruled that a special campaign committee created by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp would not be able to raise money unless he secured a party nomination.
A State Law Passed last year and signed by Kemp, civil servants and party candidates elected in certain highest elections can establish a “leadership committee” that can raise unlimited election funding, including during the legislative session. I did.
Arbitrage motion In a proceeding filed by Governor Stacey Abrams’ Democratic candidate, U.S. district judge Mark Cohen said Kemp’s Georgia First Leaders’ Committee could make him a primary candidate for governor’s Republican party. He said he could not ask for or receive donations until the final vote was over.
Cohen Previously dominated Abrams was unable to make unlimited contributions through his leadership committee, One Georgia, before officially becoming a party candidate at the Primary on May 24. She had already claimed that she was effectively a candidate because no other Democrat was eligible to run for governor.
Kemp faces a major challenge from former US Senator David Perdue and others, who could be forced to vote in the June elections. If he becomes a Republican candidate, Kemp will face Abrams in November in a rematch of the 2018 contest where he won by a small margin.
Cohen already had Dominate in February After Purdue challenged the constitutionality of the law permitting the Leadership Commission, Kemp was unable to spend money from his Leadership Commission on his reelection bids during the Primary.
The law allows the Governor and Vice-Governor, candidates for the opposite major parties, and caucuses of both the State Capitol and the Senate to form a leadership committee. Unlike traditional political action committees, it is allowed to coordinate with candidate campaigns.
The Leadership Committee can also collect unlimited donations, but candidates for state-wide positions are over $ 7,600 from individual donors for primary or general elections and over $ 4,500 for final votes. You cannot collect the forehead.
In him Temporary ruling On Thursday, Cohen said Kemp and Abrams were running for governor, but neither was officially a candidate for the party. However, under Leadership Commission law, Kemp can accept unlimited election contributions, but Abrams cannot. As Cohen goes on, Abrams can show that the method currently used by the Leadership Commission law is an “unacceptable infringement” of her First Amendment rights. He said it was likely.
Abrams campaign manager Lauren Glow Wargo praised the judge’s decision.
“A few months after Brian Kemp, who had the exclusive ability to raise unlimited funding as a result of the bill he signed, Stacey Abrams and One Georgia were denied the equivalent ability to operate under the same rules. Meanwhile, Kemp will no longer be able to raise these funds, “she said in a statement.
Cody Hall, a spokesman for the Kemp campaign, declined to comment.