Campaign finance documents filed with the state in early July show State Representative Bill Werkheiser and Political Action Committees (PACs) working in his favor spent over $100,000 to keep his seat in the State House in Georgia’s 157th House District.
Werkheiser, who represents Tattnall, Evans, and a portion of Wayne counties, was challenged by Glennville native Delvis Dutton who served in the legislature from 2010 to 2014. Early polls showed Dutton with a considerable lead, 44%-11%, until the campaign quickly turned negative and a series of negative campaign mailers and radio ads against Dutton began running in the district.
Ultimately, Werkheiser outspent Dutton 10-1, spending $78,453 of his own campaign contributions which totaled $121,000. An estimated $30,000 in radio ads and mailers paid for by the Georgia Coalition for Job Creation against Dutton. Similarly, Dutton spent $7,261, with 100% of his donations originating from the district.
Werkheiser’s money was largely from other lawmakers, attorneys from Atlanta, and lobbying organizations. $93,400 came from outside the district while $10,050 was from House District 157, meaning just over 90% of his donations were from places outside of Tattnall, Evans, and Wayne counties. A list of the outside donors are below.
Donors Out of District | Organization | Amount |
Ashley Groome | (McGuire Woods Public Affairs) | $500 |
Basto, Ela Orenstein | Attorney – Atlanta | $100 |
Bill Morie | (Committee of Automobile Retail Dealers) | $750 |
Shaw Blackmon | State Rep – Bonaire | $650 |
Bo Moore | (GA Society of CPAs) | $500 |
Bo Moore | (Connect South For A Better GA) | $1,000 |
Bo Moore | (Connect South) | $2,500 |
Brandie Bickle | (Credit Union Pac) | 250 |
Brent Beemer | (Workplace Injury Network) | 2600 |
Brett Hulme | (Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council) | $1,000 |
Brown, Thomas | Attorney – Suwannee | $250 |
Bruce Williamson | (GA House Republican Trust) | $2,600 |
Bryan Markowtiz | (GA Optometric Association) | 250 |
Bryan Tolar | (GA Agriculture Council) | $500 |
Buckelew, Brian | Attorney – Atlanta | $100 |
Burns, Frank | Attorney – Atlanta | $100 |
Caressa Hughes | (Service Corporation International) | $1,000 |
Caroline McLean | (Civil Justice Pac) | $2,500 |
Kasey Carpenter | State Rep – Dalton | $1,000 |
Carroll, Joshua | Attorney – Macon | $100 |
Castan, Daniel | Attorney – Atlanta | $100 |
Charles Hood | (Rayonier Advanced Materials) – Florida | $500 |
Chris McCrary | (Georgia Power Employees) | $1,000 |
Christy, Marsha | Attorney – Perry | $500 |
Clark, Chris | Attorney – Macon | $1,000 |
Clay, Bethea | (Rayonier Advanced Materials) – Florida | $1,000 |
Connor Poe | (Norfolk Southern) | $400 |
Christian Coomer | State Rep – Cartersville | $1,500 |
Craig Camuso | (CSX Transportation) | $350 |
Cummings, William | Attorney – Atlanta | $250 |
David Mollering | (Ga Highway Contractors) | $500 |
David Morgan | (American Federation for Children) | $2,000 |
Derek Norton | (Medical Association of GA) | $500 |
Dickey, Robert | State Rep – Musella | $1,300 |
Dickson, Tom | Retired – Cohutta, GA | 500 |
Durrence, Barney Jo & Patricia | Retired – Register, GA | $100 |
Ed Lindsey | (Dentons) | $500 |
Emadi, David | Douglas Co. District Attorney | $250 |
England, Terry | State Rep – Auburn, GA | $1,500 |
Ethan James | (GA Hospital Association) | $500 |
Finnell, Robert | Rome, GA – Attorney | $200 |
Frank Morris | (United Parcel Service) | $500 |
Georgia Ray | (Nelson Mullins) | $150 |
Ginger Folger | (GA Association of Professional Bondsmen) | $500 |
Goldberg, Fried Rogers | Attorney – Atlanta | $1,000 |
Harold Bevis | (Delta Pac) | $750 |
Harper, Tyler | Senator – Ocilla | $1,000 |
Harrell, Brett | State Rep – Gwinnett | $1,000 |
Harrison, Kevin & Sonya | Alpharetta, GA | $150 |
Hatchett, Matt | State Rep | $1,500 |
Hendon, Zack | Attorney – Atlanta | $250 |
Hendrix, Robert & Vicki | Attorney – Columbus | $100 |
Herman, Thomas | Attorney – Macon | $250 |
Hunter Towns | (Capitol Partners) | $500 |
Izquierdo, Humberto | Attorney – Cumming | $250 |
Jason Bragg | (Georgia EMC Pac) | $500 |
Jeff Ledford | (Ga Association of Realtors) | $400 |
Jeffares, Rick | State Senator – McDonough | $1,000 |
Jet Toney | (GA Affordable Housing Coalition) | $500 |
Jim Barber | (Resurgens PC) | $250 |
John Barbour | (Independent Insurance Agents of GA) | $300 |
Jan Jones | State Rep – Alpharetta | $1,500 |
Karen Bremmer | (GA Restaurant Association) | 250 |
KC Honeyman | (Wholesale Distributors for Good Government) | $500 |
Kelley, Trey | State Rep – Polk County | $1,300 |
Kevin Curtin | (AT&T Georgia) | $600 |
Kevin Perry | (Beverage Pac) | $250 |
Kevin Perry | Coca-Cola | $250 |
Kingston, Jack | Lobbyist | $500 |
Kirby Thompson | (Suntrust Good Government Group) | $500 |
Kyle Jackson | (GA Chamber Political Affairs Council) | $1,000 |
Kyle Jackson | (GA Transportation Alliance) | $500 |
LaRiccia, Dominic | State Rep – Douglas GA | $1,000 |
LeAnna Brown | (Metro Atlanta Chamber) | $500 |
Lewis Massey | (Massey, Watson & Hembree) | $250 |
Linda Hamrick | (Hamrick Consulting) | $500 |
Long, Jim | Attorney – Atlanta | $500 |
Mark Woodall | (Associated General Contractors of Ga) | $500 |
Marshall Guest | (Metro Atlanta Chamber) | $500 |
Matt Ralston | (Cancer Treatment Centers of America) | $250 |
Maxwell, Howard | State Rep – Douglas County | $1,000 |
Maziar, Todd | Attorney – Atlanta | $200 |
McManes, Spencer | Attorney – Atlanta | $500 |
Meadows, John | State Rep- Calhoun | $2,500 |
Michael Wall | Comcast | $1,600 |
Mike Giles | (GA Poultry Federation) | $250 |
Moskowitz, David & Debra | Attorney – Atlanta | $250 |
Nathan Humphrey | (National Federation of Independent Businesses) | $200 |
Newsom, Katherine Hung | Attorney – Atlanta | $250 |
Nick DeJong | (Blue Cross Blue Shield) | $500 |
Nimmer, Chad | State Rep – Blackshear | $1,000 |
Ogden, Lou & Caitlin | Baxley, GA | $100 |
Osjha Anderson Domenicone | (Select Management Resources) | $2,600 |
Parrish, Butch | State Rep – Candler COunty | $1,300 |
Penelope Moceri | (GA Apartment Association) | $500 |
Perales, Ralph | Attorney – Atlanta | $1,000 |
Perkins, Jason | Attorney – Carrollton | $200 |
Petrea, Jesse | State Rep – Savannah | $1,300 |
Powell, Jay | State Rep – Camilla | $1,000 |
Ralston, David | State Rep – Blue Ridge | $2,600 |
Reeves, Bert | State Rep – Marietta | $500 |
Rhodes, Trey | State Rep – Greensboro | $500 |
Robert Bourne | (Bourne Law Firm) | $1,000 |
Robert Potter | (SFA PAC) | $1,000 |
Roger Lane | (Georgia Oilman’s Association) | $1,000 |
Rohan, Doug | Attorney – Atlanta | $250 |
Roth, James | Attorney – Atlanta | $1,000 |
Sally Kilpatrick | (Cornerstone Government Affairs) | $250 |
Skibiel, Mark & Lauren | Brooks, GA | $250 |
SMith, Richard | State Rep – COlumbus | $2,600 |
Spillers, Charles | Attorney – Cumming | $250 |
Stephen Loftin | (GA Cable Association) | $2,100 |
Stottlemyer, Sarah | Attorney – Atlanta | $200 |
Sundbeck, Milton | Mississippi | $1,000 |
Tankersley, Jan | State Rep. – Statesboro | $250 |
Terry Hobbs | (Hobbs & Associates) | $500 |
Thomas, Lindsay & Nancy | Screven, GA | $250 |
Tillery, Blake | State Senator – Vidalia | $2,600 |
Trip Martin | (GeorgiaLink for Good Government) | $150 |
Tyrone, Nelson | Attorney – Atlanta | $1,000 |
Vincent Erario | (GA Chiropractic Association) | $1,000 |
Watson, Sam | State Rep – Moultrie | $1,000 |
Willard, Wendell | State Rep – Atlanta | $500 |
Williams, Chuck | Ga Forestry Commission | $200 |
WIlliamson, Bruce | State Rep – Monroe | $500 |
$93,400 |
Dutton pledged to donate his legislative salary to local charities in House District 157, if elected, and shortly thereafter, Werkheiser announced he had been donating his salary for four years, though no information was ever publicly provided to validate those claims. Directors of charities in areas of the district did say they received checks from Werkheiser for their 501(c)3 organizations just ahead of Election Day in May.
Dutton also challenged Werkheiser on his vote to increase lawmaker retirement. Werkheiser voted in favor of the measure during the 2018 legislative session and it angered citizens around the district. Werkheiser used local newspapers in the area to convey that he was not a member of the retirement system as a lawmaker, however, those documents are sealed under Georgia’s Open Records Act, and no person from the public could ever confirm if that statement is true.
Werkheiser and his supporters spent more to defeat his primary opponent than any other challenged state representative in the state. Similarly, the Georgia Coalition for Job Creation meddled in at least six State House races across Georgia and delivered more mailers to voters in Tattnall, Evans, and Wayne counties than anywhere else. PACs are not legally permitted to work directly with candidates and they are shielded from the election laws by which candidates are governed. You can read more about the Georgia Coalition for Job Creation here.
You can scroll through Werkheiser’s campaign disclosure below. Dutton’s is below Werkheiser’s.
Werkheiser Report 06.30.18 DUtton report june 30Jessica Szilagyi is a former Statewide Contributor for AllOnGeorgia.com.