ATLANTA — A candidate in the Republican runoff for Secretary of State is submitting a second state investigation request into his opponent’s recorded tax debt, and his eligibility to appear on the ballot.
Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle and State Rep. Brad Raffensperger are headed into the July runoff.
Earlier this month, Channel 2 Action News and its investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AJC.com spoke to Raffensperger about unpaid taxes that amounted to $130,000 in two states over several years.
“As Republicans we like to talk about tax policy, but the first step of any tax policy is pay your taxes,” Belle Isle said. “And this is coming from a gentleman who’s worth more than 22 million dollars. Most people know they need to pay their bills.”
Raffensperger has since cleared the small Georgia debt, and maintains a larger six-figure debt under a Mississippi LLC registered in his name that is tied to a separate company belonging to a former business partner.
“We pay over one million dollars in taxes a year and if there's some of that we missed ten or 20 years ago, then we were happy to take care it and we have,” Raffensperger said earlier in the week.
[READ MORE: Runoff candidate on active tax lien records: 'Bottom line is: I don't owe anything']
Belle Isle’s campaign went on to challenge Raffensperger’s eligibility to appear on the runoff ballot, per a condition of the state constitution that addresses unresolved candidate debt.
[ [READ MORE: Secretary of state's office receives candidate investigation request] ]
“I think this is part of the silly seasons of campaigns when the opponent’s side (feel) that they’re not winning,” Raffensperger said.
The Secretary of State’s office confirmed on Tuesday that it received proof of Raffensperger’s payment to settle debt in Muscogee and Gwinnett Counties. That ended any potential for a candidate challenge based on Belle Isle’s first request.
But late Tuesday afternoon, hours after a television ad featuring the tax issue was released by the Belle Isle campaign, it confirmed the mayor would challenge Raffensperger through a second investigation request to be delivered to the state this week.
It revolves around the Mississippi LLC.
If the state decides to open a candidate challenge based on that recorded debt, state law only requires that the matter is resolved ahead of the November election. The July runoff ballot wouldn’t necessarily be affected by any potential investigation.
“When you look at the Republican office here and we’re looking to lock up the Republican nomination, the danger is that you have a candidate running for Secretary of State with an ethics cloud hanging over him, and look - nobody’s going to give him a pass,” Belle Isle said. “Leftwing groups, left-leaning groups - they’re not going to give him a pass on not paying his bills.”