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Republicans in the Georgia Senate passed a bill Friday that bans candidates from raising more than half of their campaign money from outside of the state, a limitation that Democrats said inhibits their fundraising in nationalized elections.

Sen. Timothy Bearden, R-Carrollton, said the bill is about preventing non-Georgians from influencing Georgia elections — not about targeting Democrats.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 33-21 to pass Senate Bill 423, sending it to the state House.

“This legislation promotes greater transparency in campaign finance, curbs the influence of dark money and ensures Georgia elections are driven by Georgians, not by outside forces,” Bearden said. “This measure promotes transparency without prohibiting speech.”

Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, said Republicans are using their political power to change campaign finance rules for their benefit.

“This is a bald attempt to say that if any Democratic candidate has national support, they need to cut it out,” McLaurin said. “Money is money y’all, and big money distorts politics, and this bill does nothing about that.”

Democratic candidates in high-profile Georgia races have often received more money than Republican candidates in recent years, according to campaign finance records.

If the bill also passes the state House and is signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, violations could be prosecuted as felonies with punishments up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Previously, a bipartisan campaign finance bill passed both the House and Senate last month.

That measure, House Bill 414, would allow the Georgia Ethics Commission to seek subpoenas against groups or individuals in other states who are suspected of breaking Georgia campaign finance laws, such as contribution limits or transparency requirements. HB 414 is now pending with Kemp.