In a move that’s sure to draw the ire of right-wing pundits, George Soros has donated one million dollars to the Georgia Democratic Party. The cash infusion means Democrats will now start the second half of 2018 with three times as much money in their accounts as the Georgia Republican Party.
While one million dollars is certainly nothing to sneeze at, it’s unlikely that it’ll make much of a dent in Georgia’s key state-wide races. Stacey Abrams has generated a lot of buzz but faces a steep uphill battle in a solidly red state. In 2017, Democrat Congressional contender Jon Ossoff spent over $30 million in an attempt to overcome Republican contender Karen Handel, who spent just $7.6 million. Despite the vast spending disparity, Ossoff still lost in a tight race.
Owing to demographic factors, Georgia’s 6th district was considered a safe seat going into the race. Ossoff was always going to be a long shot. In the statewide Georgia races, the demographic layout is much more complex and diverse. Georgia has seen a steady increase in diversity over the past several years. As of 2014, African-American voters made up 30 percent of the electorate. From 2010 to 2014, white voters slipped from 61.6 percent to 58 percent.
Through the 2018 cycle so far, George Soros has been the 4th most active individual donor. According to OpenSecrets.org, Soros has spent just over $9.5 million. In 2016, Soros kept the purse strings relatively tight, donating “just” $22.1 million. Republican donor Sheldon Adelson spent $82.5 million while liberal Thomas Steyer spent $91 million. We could keep going down the list, but the takeaway is clear: A lot of people on both sides of the aisle are spending a lot of money.
Personally, I’d argue that the problem here isn’t liberal Soros donating money, or conservative Adelson. Boogieman politics has to stop. Instead, it’s the systemic influence money can have on politics. It should concern us that anyone, conservative or liberal, is pouring so much money into the political arena.
