Political watchers are slamming Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) for refusing to disclose who paid for his black-tie inaugural ball, calling the lack of transparency problematic.
“The fact that they are not disclosing that is very troubling,” William Perry, founder of Georgia Ethics Watchdogs, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Perry added that refusing to identify donors could be seen as an attempt to hide conflicts of interest, though it is not illegal.
“Paying for a ball like that for a public official is one way of gaining influence,” he said. “It is a way to put yourself in a good light with that elected official.”
Kemp and his aides’ decision to keep the public in the dark about his ball at State Farm Arena in Atlanta last month is a shift from previous Georgia governors who have provided lists of companies and people who paid for their election celebration. Kemp also kept financial details about his 2019 inaugural ball quiet.
Despite this, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to track $426,000 in contributions to Kemp’s bash reported in the campaign filings of political action committees and other special-interest groups, including $56,000 from beer and liquor distributors.
Other big donors included cigarette maker Altria, which gave $50,000; the car dealers lobby, which gave $25,000; a PAC funded by a Macon nursing home that ponied up $50,000; the Realtors lobby, which gave $15,000; and a PAC for credit unions that gave $50,000. Kemp’s leadership committee, a fund that allows him to accept unlimited sums from special interest groups, paid $100,000 to his inaugural fund.
Altria is facing legislation in Georgia to raise its tobacco tax rate. The car dealers’ lobby is trying to thwart legislation to prevent electric vehicle makers from selling directly to consumers. And Georgia’s nursing homes, which are partly paid for by the state, have their funding rates reviewed every year by state lawmakers and the governor.
Kemp has become a rising star in the Republican Party, fending off multiple challenges orchestrated by former President Donald Trump. Trump, who lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden, turned Kemp into public enemy No. 1 for refusing to meddle in the election results and hand him an illegal win. Kemp, who campaigned on a string of strong conservative wins for the state, beat Trump-backed challenger former Sen. David Perdue in the primary election and defeated Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in November to clinch his second term.
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There have been rumors he is eyeing Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) Senate seat in 2026.
Calls to Kemp’s office for comment were not returned.
