As Georgia’s May primary creeps closer, it is the money, not just the stump speeches, that is already deciding who voters see and which campaigns can really compete, Atlanta political strategist Fred Hicks says. His blunt advice for anyone trying to size up the race is simple and a bit ruthless: follow the money.
Hicks walked through that logic on WABE’s “Closer Look” with host Rose Scott, arguing that voters effectively “vote with their dollars” when they donate. He broke down how fundraising turns into TV time, digital ads and field operations, and why those pieces often set the terms of the contest long before anyone casts a ballot. The conversation also highlighted the three key measures analysts watch to judge a campaign’s financial health and strategy, as reported by WABE.
That lens helps explain why billionaire newcomer Rick Jackson has already scrambled the Republican side of the race. Jackson has promised to pour tens of millions of his own dollars into the contest and jumped in with immediate ad buys, a move that pushed him into the conversation almost overnight. Hoodline has detailed how Jackson’s $50 million pledge and quick TV presence give him a built-in megaphone and force rivals to respond, often at great expense, as reported in Jackson’s $50 million pledge.
Georgia has seen this movie before. Recent statewide contests, including the 2020 Senate runoffs and the follow-up races, drew an eye-popping haul of roughly $900 million in overall spending. Analysts routinely cite that price tag as a warning that any high-profile Georgia race can turn into a national money magnet in a hurry. That history is why early fundraising numbers and outside spending get treated almost like weather reports for the political season, as reported by The Associated Press.
How to Read the Numbers
Hicks pointed to three financial markers that insiders obsess over: total fundraising, cash on hand and outside, or independent, spending. Those are the same benchmarks campaign professionals and political data sites use to judge whether a team can buy enough airtime, hire staff and survive an expensive primary calendar.
Modern disclosure tools pull campaign filings almost in real time, which means big TV reservations, sudden loans or last-minute transfers show up quickly. That is why analysts tell voters to keep an eye on the spreadsheets as much as the sound bites, a point echoed in guidance from the Sunlight Foundation.
What to Watch Before the Primary
Between now and the May 19 primary, the most telling signs will come from the money trail. Watch for large blocks of ad time getting snapped up, surprise loans or transfers pumping life into a sluggish campaign and fresh independent expenditures that either boost a favorite or carpet-bomb a rival.
Local election calendars put the statewide general primary on May 19, 2026, which sets the hard deadline for campaigns to turn their bank accounts into name recognition and ground operations. Cash-on-hand reports and late filings will help reveal who can afford a full-court press on TV and who is scraping by, according to the schedule posted by the Chatham County Board of Registrars.
Why Atlanta Voters Should Care
For voters in metro Atlanta, the practical effect of all this money watching is pretty straightforward. The campaigns that can afford to spend the most are the ones that will keep popping up in your inbox, your streaming queue and during the local news.
That spending power shapes which issues get top billing. Affordability has already emerged as a defining theme of this governor’s race, and the candidates with the fattest ad budgets will be best positioned to frame how that debate sounds and who gets blamed or credited. That dynamic has been flagged as a central storyline of the cycle, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Whatever your politics, the next few rounds of finance reports and ad buys will quietly sort the field into contenders and long shots. Hicks’ bottom-line advice for anyone trying to guess who will still be standing on election night is not glamorous, but it is effective: track who is spending now and who still has enough left to buy the next week of airtime.
