Kelly Loeffler’s husband donates $1 million to pro-Trump group

New York Stock Exchange CEO Jeff Sprecher, who is married to Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), donated $1 million last month to America First Action, the largest outside group supporting President Trump’s reelection.

The donation comes as Loeffler faces an uphill climb with her own 2020 campaign. Loeffler was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) to replace former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), who stepped aside for health reasons.

Trump had wanted Kemp to appoint Rep. Doug Collins (R), who is now challenging Loeffler for the Senate seat.

Loeffler’s campaign has been complicated by scrutiny of $20 million in stock sales she made following a closed-door Senate briefing in January about the coronavirus.

Loeffler has said she does not control her stock portfolio and that the trades were made without her knowledge. She has submitted documents to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, both of which are investigating trading action among senators around the coronavirus pandemic.

The contest for Loeffler’s seat has ballooned to a crowded field of candidates from both parties ahead of the November “jungle” primary.

The top two finishers in the primary, regardless of party, will go head-to-head in January if one candidate does not win a majority in November.

A recent internal poll from Public Opinion Strategies, a group backing Kemp, found Collins leading the field with 19 percent, followed by Loeffler at 18 percent, Democrat Matt Lieberman at 17 percent and Democrat Raphael Warnock at 9 percent.

Loeffler has the worst favorability rating in the field at 21 percent positive and 59 percent negative. She trails all of the Democrats in the race in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups by double-digits, while Collins is running even with the Democrats.

Loeffler and Sprecher on Monday donated $1 million to Meals of Love, which provides meals to needy households in the Atlanta area during the coronavirus pandemic.

Billionaire businessman Timothy Mellon was the largest donor to America First Action last month, giving $10 million to the group.