2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Earl Leroy Carter?
What they did in office.
Sitting member of Congress · Earl L. "Buddy" Carter
In the U.S. House (GA-1) since 2015 · current term ends Jan 3, 2027
- Recorded yea or nay on 24 of the 24 key House floor votes captured in Hugin's snapshot
- 2 committees: Budget, Energy and Commerce · 3 subcommittees
- 295 committees reported contributions to them this cycle · 1 committee reported outside spending for or against them
Linked to this filing by its exact FEC candidate ID (S6GA00374) in the congress-legislators roster of Oct 21, 2026. Votes are one key floor vote per bill on bills named in contractor lobbying reports (Oct 29, 2026); committee seats are the roster as of Oct 24, 2026; money counts are FEC reports for 2026 as of Oct 24, 2026. These are what Hugin's snapshots captured, not complete records, and none of them is a score or evidence of motive.
The money.
- Raised
- $6.7M
- Spent
- $10M
- Cash on hand
- $59K
- Debts
- $3.5M
- Individuals 29% $1.9M
- PACs & other committees 17% $1.1M
- Candidate's own money & loans 52% $3.5M
- Other receipts 2% $129K
Campaign totals through Sep 30, 2026. Excludes $635K moved between the candidate's own committees.
Outside groups: $0 supporting · $489K opposing
Biggest spenders opposing
- WIN IT BACK PAC $489K
Largest direct PAC contributions
Who gave.
Who gives $1.9M from individuals
25% in small-dollar gifts
$490K of $1.9M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
Adding itemized gifts from donors whose itemized total is $200 or less, about 27%. Many small gifts sent through ActBlue or WinRed are itemized anyway, so the first figure runs low; this estimate groups donors by name and ZIP code as filed and counts only itemized gifts already in the FEC bulk file.
The itemized gifts below add up to $1.1M of the $1.5M the campaign reported itemizing through Sep 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.
51% from Georgia · 49% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address; $250 had no usable state. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
46% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Georgia $551K
- Texas $72K
- Virginia $63K
- Florida $56K
- District of Columbia $45K
- Kentucky $22K
- South Carolina $20K
- Oklahoma $19K
Top employers named by donors
- FIRST UROLOGY $9,000
- TODD STRATEGY GROUP $5,500
- U SAVE IT PHARMACY $5,000
- PRS PHARMACY SERVICES $1,500
- NCPA $750
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $222K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $841K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Sep 30, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 3, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (7,189 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $0 for / $489K against · $0 in the final two weeks
Source: FEC regular reports. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
What it bought, per the late reports
- TV, radio & streaming TV 91% $444K
- Digital ads 8% $40K
- Ad production 0.9% $4,574
Largest late spenders against
- WIN IT BACK PAC $489K
Latest dissemination on these reports: May 13, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (8 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $9.7M in itemized spending
- Advertising & outreach 74% $7.2M
- Consultants & strategy 12% $1.2M
- Staff & payroll 0.7% $65K
- Fundraising & processing fees 5% $510K
- Polling, research & data 4% $384K
- Travel, meals & events 0.8% $78K
- Office, technology & overhead 1% $119K
- Legal & compliance 0.4% $42K
- Contributions, transfers & refunds <0.1% $2,750
- Other or unclassified 1% $120K
Largest payees
- STRATEGIC MEDIA PLACEMENT INC. $6.2M
- BIG DOG STRATEGIES LLC $1.1M
- TARGETED VICTORY $651K
- FUNDRAISING, INC. $253K
- NATIONAL RESEARCH INC. $197K
Paid to individuals: $176K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Jan 3, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (530 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- T. Jonathan OssoffDemocrat · $104M raised · $627K outside
- Michael A Collins Jr.Republican · $7.9M raised · $1.4M outside
- John KingRepublican · $563K raised
- Reagan BoxRepublican · $82K raised
- Jonathan McColumnRepublican · $36K raised
- Derek DooleyRepublican · $4.2M outside
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.