NW Georgia News

Matt Gurtler has raised almost three times as much money in small donations than other Republican candidates campaigning for the U.S. House 9th District, indicating his support comes from the people rather than mere special interest groups, according to data from an independent election regulatory agency.

“Matt has a good voting record at the capitol,” said Ron Hooper, national director for the Georgia Republican Assembly.  “He’s very conservative. That’s one thing that has probably helped him a lot.”

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) found that of the $291,373 Gurtler raised, $54,604 were small individual donations compared to his opponents Kevin Tanner, who raised $8,625 in small individual donations, Andrew Clyde who raised $1,910 in small individual donations as well as $4,750 for Ethan Underwood, $4,075 for John Wilkinson, $50 for Maria Strickland, $1,725 for Kellie Weeks and $1,155 for Tyler James Tolin, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

“Once Matt got in with the Freedom Caucus, I figured they were going to fund him and Club for Growth is probably funding him too,” Hooper told NW Georgia News.

The Freedom Caucus is a coalition of conservative and libertarian Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives while Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) organization that focuses on reducing taxes and other economic initiatives.

“Matt did not do well in his district as far as bringing the money back from Atlanta to his district and the commissioners got behind the other candidate,” said Hooper in an interview. “I am a little surprised that he did get small donations.”

Representing the Georgia House 8th District since 2017, Gurtler, like other conservative Republicans, has had to contend with Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, according to Hooper.

“Ralston is supposed to be a Republican but he’s not real conservative at all,” Hooper said. “There's several of them that are good conservative representatives in the general assembly that were either looking to get out under Ralston or go to another job totally just to get away from him because once you get in there with Ralston, you're stuck,” Hooper said.

Although Ralston, a Republican, is an attorney who was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002 and has been House speaker since 2010.

“Representatives that go down there and do what the establishment wants them to do, they get money for their counties but they have to vote like the establishment wants them to vote going forward,” Hooper said. “That’s blackmail.”

Gurtler was a volunteer in 2012 for Ron Paul's presidential campaign and worked as a former political analyst for Georgia state Rep. Stephen Allison. He is is current CEO of Matthew L. Gurtler General Construction, according to Vote Smart. The Republican primary is June 9.