A federal judge has stymied a Republican candidate’s attempts to stop his GOP rival from using a special committee to gain a fundraising advantage in next year’s race for governor.
But the judge’s ruling may not be the last word on the dispute.
Attorney General Chris Carr, who is running for governor, had challenged Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ use of leadership committees that give certain high-ranking elected officials and candidates the ability to raise unlimited donations. That includes during the legislative session between January and late March, when other candidates – like Carr – must pause their fundraising efforts.
Carr’s office defended the law that created the leadership committees, but he has objected to Jones’ ability to use the committee to run for a higher office, which Carr said in an online video this month is “cheating the system.”
Jones’ leadership committee recently reported receiving about $14.7 million in campaign contributions, though $10 million is money Jones has personally loaned to his campaign.
But U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert dismissed Carr’s case in a ruling Thursday after concluding that Carr and his campaign for governor lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.
The judge said Carr had asked “the Court to twist itself into a logical pretzel” by challenging the constitutionality of Jones’ reliance on the leadership committee and not the underlying law.
“Plaintiffs do not allege that Mr. Jones is unlawfully operating his campaign committee or that he plays any role in enforcing the campaign contribution scheme,” Calvert wrote in the ruling. “Instead, Plaintiffs appear to allege that Defendants are doing exactly what Georgia law allows them to do. While this has injured Plaintiffs, the Court agrees that the Defendants are not the cause of that injury.”
The Carr campaign has not yet said whether it will appeal the decision.
“The Court acknowledged that this statute gives Burt Jones an unfair and harmful advantage – the same conclusion other federal judges have reached when examining it. The case was dismissed on a procedural technicality, not on the merits. We are reviewing all legal options to right this wrong,” Carr campaign spokesperson Julia Mazzone said Thursday.
Jones’ campaign seemed unconcerned about the threat of continued litigation.
“If Chris is this bad at being a lawyer, why would anyone want to give him a promotion?” said Kendyl Parker, Jones’ spokesperson.
