January 10, 2006…Preliminary analysis of Ralph Reed’s January 2006 campaign disclosure report covering the second half of 2005 shows that while the would-be lieutenant governor’s contributions dropped drastically from the first half of the year, he relied more heavily on out-of-state special interests for the money he did collect.

Reed collected a total of $386,719 in direct contributions during the second half of the year, less than one-third of the amount—$1.4 million—he took in during the first six months of the year. Nearly half—$181,250—of Reed’s contributions came from out of state, with Florida ($42,600), Texas ($30,250), Wyoming ($25,000), California ($20,000), and Connecticut ($19,500) leading the list. Six out of his top ten contributing zip codes were out-of-state zip codes.

In contrast, during the first half of the year, one-quarter of Reed’s contributions came from out-of-state donors, and nine out of ten of his top contributing zip codes were Georgia zip codes.

Overall, Reed raised less money than Republican rival Sen. Casey Cagle, who collected a total of $619,254 in direct contributions, and Democratic opponent Greg Hecht, who raised $401,048. Another Democrat, Jim Martin, collected $357,481.

“Georgians are just saying “no” to contributing to Ralph Reed’s campaign,” said David Donnelly, national campaigns director for Public Campaign Action Fund. “They’ve heard the stories of how Reed has spent his time hobnobbing with the likes of Jack Abramoff, profiting off of gambling interest money. Now they don’t want to contribute to his campaign.”

Eighty-six percent—$331,774—of Reed’s contributions came from donors giving at least $1,000; just $5,280, or one percent, came from donors giving less than $101.

The out-of-towners, special interests, and big donors showering cash on Ralph Reed during the second half of the year include:

• A total of $25,000 from Foster Friess, and his wife, Lynn, listing a Wyoming address. Foster Friess is CEO of Friess Associates, an investment firm that runs the Brandywine Funds. The Delaware-based company also contributed an additional $10,000.
• A total of $20,000 from conservative California donors Fred and Ruth Sacher. Sacher is a long-time GOP donor who used to give to former Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrich’s GOPAC and helped fund the Nicaraguan contras. The Sachers both “maxed out” to Reed’s primary and general funds.
• $5,000 apiece from Bob Nardelli, CEO of Home Depot, and his wife, Sue toward Reed’s general election fund. Bob Nardelli had already given $5,000 toward Reed’s primary during the first half of the year.

Top Contributing Zip Codes to Ralph Reed’s Campaign for Lt. Governor (July-December 2005)

Public Campaign Action Fund holds politicians accountable for the favors they give to their big money donors and works to pass comprehensive reform of our campaign finance laws.