Atlanta Unfiltered

Paul Broun (right) has raised nearly $605,000 in campaign funds this year, more than any other Georgia congressman, new financial disclosures show.

To do that, he has spent heavily on fund-raising, including $72,652 paid to three companies affiliated with Paul Kilgore, his campaign treasurer.

Campaign records show Broun’s campaign in 2009 has paid:

– $42,766 to Capitol Hill Lists, LLC,

– $20,117 to Professional Data Services Inc., and

– $9,758 to Win Right Data Company, LLC.

State records list Kilgore as CEO of Professional Data Services and as the registered agent in Georgia of the other two companies. Win Right is based in Richmond, Va., and the other two in Athens.

Kilgore has played much the same role in the last several years for Bob Barr’s political action committee. Kilgore’s companies sold mailing lists and data services to the Bob Barr Leadership Fund while he served as the fund’s treasurer. The PAC raised more than $4 million after Barr left office in 2002, but has remained relatively dormant since the former congressman ran for president as a Libertarian last year.

Federal election law generally does not address transactions between campaign officials and private firms under their control, as long as they are disclosed.

Latest congressional campaign disclosures show Georgia Republicans, led by Broun, were generally much more prolific fund-raisers through June 30, with these totals:

$604,953 Broun (R)
$486,288 Tom Price (R)
$433,941 John Barrow (D)
$320,702 Phil Gingrey (R)
$203,324 Jack Kingston (R)
$178,796 John Lewis (D)
$158,447 David Scott (D)
$117,201 Lynn Westmoreland (R)
$109,288 Sanford Bishop (D)
$96,699 Jim Marshall (D)
$84,671 Hank Johnson (D)
$64,236 Nathan Deal (R, now running for governor)
$20,958 John Linder (R)

Republican members also reported much fatter campaign bank accounts.

Gingrey’s sitting on nearly $1 million, while Kingston and Linder are each holding more than a half-million dollars. Democrats David Scott and Hank Johnson, on the other hand, were sitting on campaign accounts of only about $24,000 and $14,000, respectively.