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Independent political committees have spent more than $25 million to influence this year’s elections in Georgia, already surpassing the total spent during the 2022 midterms, according to new campaign disclosures.
Sports betting advocates accounted for nearly half that total, pumping $12.3 million into legislative races across the state. Nearly all 34 candidates the sports-betting committees backed won their primary elections, though that spending likely wasn’t the deciding factor in most races.
The $25.3 million total doesn’t include at least $19 million spent by Georgians for Integrity, a dark-money group that targeted then-Lt. Gov. Burt Jones during his campaign for governor.
Special interests outspend candidates in Georgia’s 2026 races
Independent committees backing this year’s races have varied interests, from sports betting to Planned Parenthood to Georgia Realtors. Groups also spent millions backing Republicans Chris Carr and Brad Raffensperger, both of whom lost their bids for governor.
Jones, too, lost his race for the GOP nomination, falling to businessman Rick Jackson in a June runoff. Jackson now faces Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in the Nov. 3 general election.
The flow of special-interest money could shape a legislative agenda that doesn’t necessarily reflect voters’ priorities, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
“If you’re asking voters what their major concern is, I doubt that it’s sports betting,” Bullock said.
Georgia law caps how much individuals and groups can give directly to candidates — $8,400 per primary or general election for governor and other statewide offices this cycle, plus $4,800 for runoffs. But independent committees can raise and spend unlimited sums to support or oppose candidates, as long as they don’t coordinate with the campaigns.
DraftKings, FanDuel bankroll push for Georgia sports betting
No group has taken fuller advantage of that unlimited spending than Win for America, which is funded by sports-betting companies including DraftKings and FanDuel. The organization funds two Georgia political committees:
- American Conservative Fund Action, aligned with Republicans, spent $8.5 million supporting and opposing legislative candidates in the first half of 2026.
- American Future, aligned with Democrats, spent $3.4 million.
A Win for America representative said the group backs “candidates who will thoughtfully approach the tax revenue and job opportunities our industry provides.”
Georgia remains one of the largest states that hasn’t legalized sports betting. Repeated efforts to do so have stalled amid bipartisan opposition from lawmakers concerned about the social costs of gambling and how the industry would be regulated.
Carr, Raffensperger backers spent millions in vain
The second-largest bloc of independent spending backed the unsuccessful Republican campaigns of Carr and Raffensperger. Keep Georgia Strong Action spent $3.4 million supporting Carr, while Hardworking Georgia Families spent $2.4 million on Raffensperger.
How the money moved is as notable as how much: Keep Georgia Strong Action received its largest contribution — $3 million — after Carr failed to advance past the first round of the Republican primary. The gift came from Shaping Health Initiatives for Tomorrow, an Oklahoma-based group, which used the money for ads opposing Jones ahead of his runoff loss to Jackson, according to AJC reporting.
Hardworking Georgia Families drew most of its funding from two groups tied to Raffensperger. The largest contributor, the Election Defense Fund — a nonprofit formed to defend election workers from lawsuits and bolster confidence in elections — gave $2.1 million over the past year, most of it spent on ads supporting Raffensperger.
The fund’s officers have included Ryan Germany, Raffensperger’s former general counsel at the Secretary of State’s office, and Raffensperger himself, who promoted the organization ahead of the 2024 election.
A second group, Integrity Works for Georgia Action, gave $273,000 to Hardworking Georgia Families. Records show it shares an address and officers with the Election Defense Fund.
More committees added to election spending total
Other independent committees with significant spending this year include Conservatives for Strong Schools ($831,929), Planned Parenthood Votes ($746,867) and the Georgia Realtors IE Committee ($725,598). Several dozen additional committees also spent smaller sums trying to sway the elections.
Georgians for Integrity, which spent at least $19 million on ads attacking Jones, never registered with the State Ethics Commission and didn’t report its spending. The group’s ads didn’t explicitly mention the election or urge voters toward any candidate; instead, they focused on Jones’ business dealings, alleging he used his office to enrich himself and his family.
The State Ethics Commission has since charged the group with campaign finance and lobbying violations, and the case remains pending.
Experts say special interests, not voters, set agenda
Bullock said the surge in independent spending reflects how high the stakes are this year. The general election pits Jackson against Bottoms in a race Ballotpedia rates a toss-up, and Democrats see a chance to break the GOP’s hold on the state House of Representatives.
The spending also illustrates how far special interests — including the sports-betting industry — will go to get what they want.
“They have one thing in mind — pass this one bill and go home happy,” Bullock said.
