Georgia's Stacey Abrams raised $9.25 million in governor bid

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday that her campaign for governor raised more than $9.25 million from more than 100,000 separate donors since she announced her candidacy on Dec. 1.

Abrams said she has $7.2 million in cash on hand. That's less than the $12.7 million that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday that he has in cash. But Abrams has a one key advantage: She's thus far unopposed for the Democratic nomination, with no other candidates having yet filed.

Kemp is facing multiple Republican challengers including former Sen. David Perdue and former state Rep. Vernon Jones in what could be a costly battle for the GOP nomination. None of Kemp's Republican rivals have announced their fundraising totals as of Jan. 31. Candidates have several more days to file reports with Georgia ethics officials.

“While we are in a strong position to raise the resources we need to win, we take nothing for granted as we are certain to face a well funded opponent in the general election,” said campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo.

Kemp reported raising $7.4 million in the seven months ending Jan. 31, compared to what Abrams raised in two months.

Candidates in other Georgia races also raised large sums. Last week, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said he raised $9.8 million in the last three months of 2021, while his Republican challenger Herschel Walker said donors gave him $5.4 million.