Chris Carr/State of Georgia website
ATLANTA - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says he has raised a historic amount in his run for governor.
Carr's campaign says the Georgia Republican raised nearly $2.2 million in 40 days before the legislative session began.
State officials are restricted from collecting donations during the session, which runs through April 5.
Chris Carr running for Georgia governor
The backstory:
After working as a lawyer and the vice president of the conservative Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Carr got his entry into politics when he joined U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson's staff in 2004 and became Isakson's chief of staff in 2007.
From there, he became the commissioner of economic development and then attorney general under then-Gov. Nathan Deal
Carr announced that he was running for governor in November, becoming the first major candidate from either party to announce a bid.
Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited and will step down following the 2026 election.
Other potential Republican contenders include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
It's exceptionally early to announce a 2026 political bid. Customarily, statewide candidates in Georgia would announce sometime after 2025's legislative session. But Carr let it be known more than a year ago that he was lining up donors for a run. That's in part because Jones and Raffensperger are much more wealthy than Carr.
Republicans have won six straight governor's races in Georgia since Sonny Perdue became the first Republican to be elected in modern times in 2002. Democrats had hoped to break that streak under Stacey Abrams in 2022 after she narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018, but Kemp defeated her by a comfortable margin in their rematch.
What they're saying:
"We are truly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received," Carr said. "Thanks to the generosity of folks from all over the state, it’s become abundantly clear that Georgians have faith in our campaign and our shared vision for the future."
He said his campaign will continue to expand its grassroots efforts throughout the state and connect to voters.
The Source: Information for this story was taken from a release by Chris Carr's gubernatorial campaign and previous FOX 5 reporting.