Oxendine returns $120,000 in contributions

Cameron McWhiter and James Salzer write in the ajc:

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has returned $120,000 in questionable contributions that were funneled to his gubernatorial campaign by two Georgia insurance companies.

In campaign reports filed Tuesday night, Oxendine reported the money amounted to more than 8 percent of all the money his campaign has raised.

Just yesterday Jay Bookman wrote in the ajc's about the Ox's reputation, noting:

The nominal Republican front-runner is Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, but I’d be surprised if that’s the case a year from now. He carries too much personal and political baggage, and his GOP opponents are eager to make the most of it. The most recent revelation —- that an insurance company used front committees in Alabama to funnel $120,000 to Oxendine’s campaign —- is damaging mainly because it confirms the reputation he has built over the years.