The September 30 campaign finance reports finally offer a complete picture of the money spent in this year’s district attorney’s race in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit which was decided on May 21.
On May 21, defense attorney Robert Busbee ousted incumbent District Attorney Daphne Totten by a margin of 62.99% to 37.01%. Busbee garnered 10,169 votes to Totten’s 5,975. The circuit, which is comprised of Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins, and Screven counties, overwhelmingly opted for Busbee, as he claimed a victory in all four counties. In Jenkins and Screven counties, he won with 79.14% and 77.29% of the vote, respectively.
Busbee prevailed in absentee votes, early voting, and election day votes.
No single area of any county was particularly favorable either. Busbee won every voter precinct in the circuit with the exception of 2A in Effingham (which he lost by 5 votes) and 2C in Effingham (which he lost by 2 votes). He was victorious in 16/16 precincts in Bulloch, 18/20 in Effingham, 5/5 in Jenkins, and 7/7 precincts in Screven.
Total Contributions Through September 30, 2024
Though she carried the incumbent status, Totten showed only $298.97 cash on hand at the beginning of 2024, leaving her on a level playing field with Busbee at the start of campaign season.
Busbee and Totten were closely aligned on the amount of money they each invested in their respective campaigns. Busbee loaned himself $63,000 ahead of the primary election while Totten loaned herself $64,000. $35,000 of Totten’s total came in mid-July, two months after the primary election, to pay off outstanding campaign expenses.
In terms of monetary donations, Totten outraised Busbee by $143.97. Totten also had $2,500 in in-kind donations with Busbee’s totaling $500.
When considering both monetary donations and in-kind donations, Totten outraised Busbee by $2,143.97. When factoring in loans, in-kind donations, and monetary donations, Totten raised $3,143.97 more than Busbee.
| IN-KIND | MONETARY | PERSONAL LOAN TO CAMPAIGN | TOTAL | |
| Busbee | $500 | $31,825 | $63,000 | $95,325 |
| Totten | $2,500 | $31,968.97 | $64,000 | $98,468.97 |
Total Expenditures Through September 30, 2024
| Total | Amount of Loans Repaid to Self | |
| Busbee | $87,741.32 | $0 |
| Totten | $95,626.63 | $6,600 |
Note: Totten’s campaign finance reports show that she repaid herself $4,000 for loans and another $2,600 in July 2024, but her campaign ‘indebtedness’ totals do not show any repayments to herself. The total stands at $64,000, despite the $6,600 in payments to herself.
Net Balance on Hand as of September 30, 2024
| Busbee | $7,083.68 |
| Totten | $3,42.34 |
Campaign Finance Filing Issues
Since being elected to public office, District Attorney Daphne Totten has filed seven out of the eight required campaign finance filings past the required due date. She has a pending administrative case against her with the Georgia Campaign Finance Commission for failing to comply with state law.
In one report, she noted in an addendum statement that she filed her report late because she needed assistance from the Commission in resetting her log-in credentials. TheGeorgiaVirtue.com filed an Open Records Request with the Commission and they reported no such request for assistance by Totten’s campaign.
