Rep. Cooper outraises opponent 10 to 1 in bid for new seat

Nov. 1—After the final fundraising disclosure deadline of this election cycle, state Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-east Cobb, has outraised her Democratic opponent 10 to one.

Cooper reported raising nearly $300,000 as of her latest campaign finance report. Democrat Dustin McCormick reported raising just over $28,000 in disclosures he provided to the MDJ.

First elected in 1996, Cooper currently represents House District 43. In this year's redistricting cycle, however, she was drawn out of that seat and into House District 45, previously held by former state Rep. Matt Dollar, R-east Cobb.

The seat for District 45 is currently held by state Rep. Mitchell Kaye, R-east Cobb, elected earlier this year in a special election to hold the seat for the remainder of 2022. Kaye did not seek reelection.

The new District 45 is projected to lean 55% Republican, according to Princeton University.

Cooper is chair of the House Health and Human Services committee, and has received significant financial backing from an array of healthcare and pharmaceutical interests in her reelection bid.

According to disclosures, among her backers are the Georgia Healthcare Association ($1,000), biotech firm Amgen ($500), CVS pharmacies ($1,000), GlaxoSmithKline ($800), Pfizer ($1,000), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America ($1,000), the Georgia Medical Association ($3,000), United Healthcare ($2,500), Zeneca ($3,000), the Georgia Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers ($3,000), The Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists ($1,000), the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals ($1,000), the Georgia Dental Association ($2,000), the Georgia Dermatologists PAC ($3,000), the Georgia Emergency Medicine PAC ($3,000), the Georgia Medical Eye PAC ($3,000), and Johnson & Johnson ($2,500), among others.

The longtime state representative has also enjoyed the support of her Republican colleagues in the House. Speaker of the House David Ralston has donated $4,000 to her campaign, while House Majority Leader Jan Jones donated $1,500.

Other supporters include former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler ($1,000), the Koch Foundation ($1,000), the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association ($3,000), the Home Depot ($2,000), and Capitol Strategy Group ($2,500), a lobbying firm where Smyrna City Councilman Travis Lindley is a partner.

Of her $299,667 raised, Cooper has spent $219,983, leaving her with $79,683 in the bank heading into Election Day.

Across the aisle, disclosures for McCormick — who unsuccessfully ran against Kaye in May — did not appear on the state's campaign finance website as of Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission confirmed the only filings available covered McCormick's first run in May.

After being reached for comment, McCormick provided the filings to the MDJ, which have since appeared on the website as of Tuesday afternoon. Time stamps on the disclosures indicate they were filed Tuesday, although the deadline was Oct. 25.

Those forms indicate McCormick's largest supporter has been Fair Fight, the Stacey Abrams-founded progressive political group, which has donated $5,000. Other supporters include Luisa Wakeman ($200), a Democratic candidate who challenged Cooper in 2020, and Marietta resident David Horn ($300).

McCormick also loaned himself over $17,300. Of his $28,032 haul, he's spent over $25,800, with $2,686 cash-on-hand.