Gov. Kemp Took Thousands in Free Sports Tickets From Lobbyists and an Anonymously Funded Nonprofit
One courtside outing with a donor was logged by his campaign as a 'political meeting'; a nonprofit that pays for his seats keeps its donors secret
Ink = the flip (fiction). Red = real Republican · Blue = real Democrat.
ATLANTA — Gov. Kemp has accepted thousands of dollars in free tickets to professional sporting events from lobbyists and from a nonprofit whose donors are kept anonymous, including a courtside seat beside a donor at a basketball game that his campaign, asked to categorize it, described as a 'political meeting' — a phrase The Press's sports desk notes is not printed on any ticket to that arena.
One outing's tickets and catering, valued at roughly $1,650, were provided by a lobbyist and disclosed by the governor's campaign as an in-kind contribution rather than by his office as a gift, a routing choice that keeps a lobbyist's hospitality on the campaign's books instead of the ethics filing. Separately, a nonprofit spent at least $12,000 in a single year on sporting-event tickets for the governor, and because the nonprofit's donors are secret, the public cannot know who, exactly, keeps buying the governor such good seats.
The Press's ethics desk observes that the appeal of the anonymous nonprofit is precisely its anonymity: it allows a governor to enjoy the game without the audience learning the name of the person in the next seat, which is usually the only detail that matters.
A courtside seat is a harmless perk of public life when one's own governor is enjoying it and a naked influence operation when the other party's governor is, and the seat is equally good in both cases, which is the point of the seat.
Reaction followed the standing choreography. Supporters saw a governor doing the ordinary relationship-building of the office; opponents saw access sold by the ticket to buyers who prefer not to be named. The Press archives confirm both parties own the vocabulary — 'a routine political meeting' and 'courtside corruption' — and swap it, at the buzzer, whenever the other side is the one in the good seats.
The luxury box, reached for comment, said it had hosted only political meetings, and could not recall the score.
📜 The Receipts
What actually happened: Reporting has documented Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) accepting sports tickets as gifts: his campaign disclosed $1,650 in Eagles 'event tickets and catering' from a lobbyist as an in-kind contribution (rather than his office reporting it as a gift), a courtside Sixers game with a donor his campaign called a 'political meeting,' and at least $12,000 in a year spent on sports tickets for him by the nonprofit Team PA, whose donors are anonymous.