Lawmakers refilling war chests
Lumsden sees a spike in donations while Hufstetler backs candidates
Local lawmakers were barred from raising campaign cash during the extended Georgia General Assembly session this year, but activity picked up when the gavel finally fell on June 26.
The 40-day annual legislative session — next scheduled to convene on Jan. 11 — normally wraps up by April. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, forced an unwelcome suspension during an election year.
Three of Floyd County’s four delegates grew their war chests, according to the latest financial filings through Oct. 31. The next reports are due to the state ethics commission Dec. 31.
State Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee, saw the biggest boost. He was appointed to chair the House Insurance Committee in the last week of December 2019, two weeks before the 2020 session opened.
Lumsden started the year with $69,219 in the bank and ended October with $114,929.
He reported few expenses and over $40,000 in donations during the four months after the prohibition lifted. Among his major donors were Delos Yancey Jr., Delos Yancey III and other executives with State Mutual Insurance in Rome.
Medical and insurance political action committees dominated the mix of Lumsden’s big donors. A number of local residents, including attorney Bob Finnell, Dr. Kevin Snodgrass and Coosa Steel executive Dean Saville Jr., also made contributions.
State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, chairs the Senate Finance Committee and has been a major player in both monetary and health care policy under the Gold Dome.
Hufstetler’s campaign chest started at $202,987 and was at $203,207 as of Oct. 31, but there was a flurry of activity in between.
Although Hufstetler (like Lumsden) had a nominal Democratic challenger in the election, his reported expenses tilted toward political donations rather than ads. More than $ 33,000 went to Republican candidates’ campaign accounts or committees to support them.
Hufstetler put $10,000 into Peach State Values, Inc., a committee formed in May by GOP state Sens. William Ligon and Larry Walker. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s Advance Georgia committee got $7,500 and individual candidates — including Floyd County Commissioners Wright Bagby Jr. and Allison Watters — got smaller amounts as limited by state law.
He also paid $1,785 a month to rent an apartment at Altitude in Atlanta as a combination office and lodging. It’s about a threehour round trip drive between Rome and the state Capitol. Donations to maintain Hufstetler’s account balance came from a wide variety of industry political action committees, with health care groups having the edge.
State Rep. Katie Dempsey, R- Rome, also maintains an office apartment in Atlanta, at Centennial Park West. Her expenses covering rent, campaign consulting and wireless service totaled $3,450 a month.
She had $ 59,027 in her campaign account as of Jan. 31 and ended October with $35,795.
Dempsey chairs the human resources subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, working closely with state agencies, nonprofits and for-profit entities providing social services.
She took in a little over $18,000 in donations during the four month period, mostly from the healthcare industry but including $1,000 from Earl Tillman of Rome.
State Rep. Mitchell Scoggins, R-Cartersville, is preparing to start his second twoyear term as a legislator. The retired Probate Court judge holds no leadership position as yet but has been an active member of the House judiciary and transportation committees.
Scoggins, who was unopposed for reelection, saw his campaign account grow from $9,298 to $15,101 so far this year.
His major support came from the legal industry, including $2,500 from the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association’s Civil Justice PAC, and Bartow County residents.
Scoggins reported few campaign expenses, most notably a $1,000 payment to Adairsville High School for a sign.
Lobbyist spending reports indicate the delegates have been getting most of their information at their offices or through committee hearings.
Hufstetler had a $16 lunch in October with representatives of the Georgia Professional Sports Integrity Alliance in October.
Lumsden had an $ 11.36 lunch with a lobbyist for the Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists in October.
Dempsey and Scoggins had $ 27 lunches on Sept. 10 with Cartersville-based lobbyist Boyd Pettit representing the Georgia OB/ GYN Society.