National Donors Increasingly Influencing State-Level Races

Polls leading up to last November’s gubernatorial race showed a close contest. To help secure the governorship, the national Republican Governor’s Association and the Republican National Committee poured millions into Gov. Nathan Deal’s reelection efforts. They were the largest individual, out-of-state spenders in the race.

Ben Wielder of the Center for Public Integrity says in Georgia and elsewhere national donors had an outsized influence. 

“We looked at all donors. Not just the top 50 but anyone who gave $10 and up. The typical donor backed winners 52 percent of the time,” said Wielder. “Big national groups, they backed winners 85 percent of the time so it was very clear they were spending a lot of money and getting a pretty good return on investment.”

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled individuals and groups could spend unlimited sums on political ads. Last year, the biggest spenders in state races were the Democratic and Republican governor’s associations, corporate interests like Comcast and ATT, and unions.

University of Georgia Political Scientist Charles Bullock says more national money could drown out the voice of in-state interests. He predicts less advantage for incumbents, who historically attract the lionshare of in-state donations.

“Where a challenger in the past would have been greatly disadvantaged – and they may still be disadvantaged in what they can raise themselves – if they’ve got some major groups to step in behind them, that can go a long way to offsetting that difference.”

In Georgia, Bullock expects even more out-of-state money to pour in for 2018, when there will be no incumbent governor and a wide open field.