As early voting for Tennessee’s gubernatorial primary wraps up and the November general election for governor nears, corporate political action committees are pouring monetary campaign donations into the race.
Republican candidate and gubernatorial frontrunner U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn leads the race in donations from corporate PACs, including a range of law firms, healthcare companies and other large corporations.
According to online campaign finance reports, Blackburn’s primary campaign received $15,400 (the contribution limit per candidate per race for corporate PACs in Tennessee) each from PACs run by Franklin-based Acadia Healthcare and insurance provider Delta Dental. Brentwood-headquartered Lifepoint Health’s PAC has contributed $10,400 to Blackburn’s primary campaign and $9,600 to her general election campaign. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Anesthesiologist PAC donated the full $15,400 to Blackburn’s primary efforts. A PAC representing health insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield in Tennessee also contributed $15,400 toward her primary campaign.
PACs spearheaded by law firms like Adams & Reese, Baker Donelson, Holland & Knight and Thompson Burton have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Blackburn's gubernatorial efforts.
Blackburn has also seen widespread support from other large corporations headquartered in Tennessee, like Brentwood-based private prison operator CoreCivic and Tractor Supply Company, which both have contributed either at or near the donation limit. The AT&T Tennessee PAC contributed $15,400 to both her general and primary campaigns, and the Washington, D.C.-based PAC representing Home Depot has donated $5,000 to the primary. A Southwest Airlines-associated PAC is also supporting Blackburn.
Construction, engineering and architectural firms are also showing support for Blackburn, with contributions rolling in from Barge Design Solutions, Gresham Smith and Pape-Dawson. The Tennessee PAC for massive telecommunications company Charter Communications has also funneled $15,400 toward both Blackburn’s general and primary campaigns.
Blackburn is also receiving major monetary backing from key players in the state’s economic development landscape, such as the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism PAC.
Amid the corporate PAC funds, individual CEOs and executives of large corporations are allocating even more money toward Blackburn. These include recently retired CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger, along with new CEO Patrick Swindle, and other executives and high-level leaders at Tractor Supply, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Barge Design Solutions, Ryman Hospitality and Oracle, among others.
With most of the largest corporate PACs directing their efforts toward Blackburn, it leaves few donations to be made to Republican gubernatorial candidates U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts, as well as Democratic Party candidate Jerri Green.
However, Rose — who is primarily self-funding his campaign — also received a major contribution of $15,400 from the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism PAC. Fritts and Green each received small sums from less prominent PACs.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
