Time will tell whether Roy Barnes can win another term as governor, but one thing’s for sure — he still knows how to raise money, even during the depths of the worst recession since the 1930s.
Barnes, who set a state record by spending more than $20 million in his unsuccessful 2002 reelection campaign, will report that he raised $2.7 million during the first six months of his current campaign. That could well exceed the totals reported by any of the other Democratic or Republican candidates in the race.
The Barnes campaign planned to file their initial disclosure report Thursday night with the State Ethics Commission; the deadline for reporting money raised through Dec. 31 is Friday.
Barnes, the frontrunner among Democratic candidates for governor, said that two-thirds of the donations listed on his report are from “first time contributors.”
The Barnes total has been raised since July, when he announced his decision to run for another term. He was defeated by Republican Sonny Perdue in the 2002 election.
Barnes’ campaign manager, Chris Carpenter, said the former governor has visited more than 60 counties during a listening tour since he made the decision to run.
“Over the course of this campaign, Roy has met many friends – old and new – and has had the opportunity to learn about the multitude of issues that Georgians are facing in these tough times,” Carpenter said. “He is energized, inspired, and ready to keep the momentum going in 2010.”
Barnes is running against Attorney General Thurbert Baker, House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) and retired adjutant general David Poythress in the Democratic primary.
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