Record Fine CRUSHES Stacy Abrams

Gavel on a pile of hundred-dollar bills.

Stacey Abrams’ New Georgia Project admits to 16 campaign finance violations, hit with a record $300,000 fine for secretly funneling millions to her 2018 gubernatorial bid.

Story Snapshot

New Georgia Project fined $300,000—the largest in Georgia State Ethics Commission history—for undisclosed spending supporting Abrams’ 2018 campaign.[1]
Group raised $4.2 million in dark money and spent $3.2 million on door-knocking, mailers, social media, and field offices without registering as a political committee.[1][3][4]
Organization, founded by Abrams in 2013 and once led by Sen. Raphael Warnock, shuts down after admitting violations and facing federal tax-exempt status revocation push.[3]
Georgia Senate subpoenas Abrams for testimony on her ties to the group, signaling no one is above the law.
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith demands IRS probe into the nonprofit’s illegal electioneering.

Record Fine Caps Five-Year Probe

The Georgia State Ethics Commission imposed a $300,000 penalty on the New Georgia Project on January 15, 2025, after the group admitted 16 violations of state campaign finance laws.[1] Commission Executive Director David Emadi called it the largest fine in the agency’s history and possibly the biggest state ethics fine in U.S. history.[1] The organization, founded by Stacey Abrams in 2013 to register voters, failed to register as a political committee or disclose finances.[1][3] It must pay $150,000 upfront and the rest within a year.[1]

Abrams, who ran unsuccessfully for Georgia governor in 2018 and 2022, left the group in 2017, her spokesperson stated.[1] The consent order details no direct evidence of her personal involvement, but the five-year investigation, launched in 2019, used court-approved subpoenas for bank records validated by the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2022.[1][4] This enforcement upholds transparency laws conservatives champion against dark money abuse.[2]

Dark Money Fueled Abrams’ Campaign Efforts

New Georgia Project raised $4.2 million in undisclosed contributions and spent $3.2 million during the 2018 election cycle to benefit Abrams and other Democrats.[1][3][4] Expenditures funded door-knocking, mailers, social media ads, and ten field offices with paid staff.[1] The group also violated laws with $600,000 in undisclosed funds and $173,000 spent on a 2019 public transportation ballot initiative.[4] Under then-leader U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, these actions crossed into illegal electioneering.[3]

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) requested IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause revoke the group’s tax-exempt status in March 2025.[3] Smith cited the admissions as clear violations of 501(c)(3) rules against political activity. The organization dissolved months later amid scrutiny. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr enforced similar transparency, noting equal accountability regardless of party.[2]

Ongoing Investigations Target Abrams Directly

Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations, authorized by Senate Resolution 292, subpoenaed Abrams for testimony on her New Georgia Project ties. Chair Sen. Bill Cowsert indicated demands for documents on her relationship with the group and a $2 billion federal grant to Power Forward Communities.[3] The probe follows the ethics settlement and seeks depositions of staff involved in 2018 activities.[2][3]

Carr’s office, representing the Ethics Commission, pursued parallel actions against Republican groups like Georgia Republican Assembly for similar nondisclosures, proving even-handed enforcement.[2] Conservatives view these probes as vital to protect election integrity from leftist nonprofits blurring lines between voter registration and campaigning. Abrams’ group helped flip Georgia blue in 2020, raising stakes for accountability.[4] Further forensic audits could reveal more on coordination.[3]