Campaign documents show contributions from celebrities in Senate race

WASHINGTON — New numbers show Democrat Michelle Nunn outpacing all her potential Republican rivals for the U.S. Senate when it comes to raising cash.
 
Channel 2's Justin Gray combed through just-released campaign documents to find out how the candidates stack up on the money front.
 
From basketball legends to media moguls, some big names are among the big donors trying to help Nunn take Georgia's open U.S. Senate seat.
 
The ads are already flooding your TV, but it costs big bucks to buy those ads.
 
Nunn out-raised all other candidates during the first quarter of this year, raising $2.4 million. She now has $3.9 million in cash on hand.
 
"Michelle Nunn is proving that fundraising is not an issue for her. She's going to raise plenty of money," said Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report.
 
Some famous names have donated to Nunn's political action committee.
 
Family feud host Steve Harvey and his wife Marjorie each gave $15,000. So did Atlanta mogul Tyler Perry.
 
Basketball legend Magic Johnson and CNN founder Ted Turner gave $10,000 each.
 
There's starting to be clear separation on the Republican side.
 
Rep. Jack Kingston led the pack once again, raising $1.1 million in the first quarter; he has $2.1 million on hand. David Perdue raised $573,000.
 
Both have blanketed the state with television ads.
 
Rep. Phil Gingrey has a war chest of more than $2 million.
 
But Karen Handel and Rep. Paul Broun have a lot less cash, under $400,000 each right now.
 
"I think it's going to be tough for some of the candidates that don't have as much money to break through," Gonzales said.
 
While Nunn can focus on the general election, it's complicated for the Republicans.

They need to spend to make it to a runoff, but save enough cash for that runoff battle and for the coming general election fight.

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