Judge rejects Brad Raffensperger's bid to loosen spending limits in Georgia governor's race
ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge has rejected for now Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ‘s bid to gain more spending power in the state’s race for governor, upholding campaign finance rules that some Republicans argue give certain candidates an unfair advantage.
Raffensperger’s independent political action committee, Safe Affordable Georgia, filed a federal lawsuit in December asking permission to raise unlimited funds for his campaign. One of his opponents in the GOP primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, has been able to do that under a 2021 state law that created leadership committees like the one he chairs, which can raise unlimited funds for candidates.
Attorneys for Safe Affordable Georgia argued current law violates Raffensperger’s First Amendment rights by subjecting him to different rules than his opponent and requested that the limits for his committee be waived during the ongoing campaign.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross said in her order issued Tuesday that Safe Affordable Georgia’s arguments did not meet the legal standard for her to do that, while acknowledging the law giving special treatment to Jones’ leadership committee is likely unconstitutional. Raffensperger has appealed the ruling.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/brad-raffenspergers-georgia-governor-spending-limits/