Notable Patterns
Patterns the data already shows — the rabbit holes that usually take a spreadsheet to find. Every line links into the records behind it.
Biggest self-funders
Campaigns funded mostly by the candidate — money given directly or loaned to their own campaign. That can read as skin in the game, or as a campaign without much of a donor base behind it; the data only says where the money came from.
| Candidate | Office | Own money | Of total raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Rose | Tennessee Governor | $5,000,000 | 76% of $6.6M |
| David Hatley | Tennessee Governor | $2,000,000 | 99.9% of $2.0M |
| Brent Taylor | Tennessee Senate, District 31 | $1,090,936 | 72% of $1.5M |
| Todd Warner | Tennessee House, District 92 | $329,670 | 91% of $363K |
| Greg Vital | Tennessee House, District 29 | $220,000 | 74% of $296K |
| Michelle Foreman | Tennessee House, District 65 | $192,021 | 99.6% of $193K |
| Bill Powers | Tennessee Senate, District 22 | $141,917 | 66% of $215K |
| Dennis H. Beavers | Tennessee Senate, District 01 | $51,750 | 90% of $58K |
| Angie Lawless | Tennessee House, District 59 | $50,664 | 75% of $67K |
| Jimmy Matlock | Tennessee Senate, District 05 | $50,000 | 60% of $84K |
| Robert Stevens | Tennessee House, District 13 | $45,000 | 55% of $81K |
| Eva Angelina Romero | Tennessee House, District 60 | $40,104 | 71% of $56K |
| Paul Rose | Tennessee Senate, District 32 | $35,000 | 51% of $68K |
| Dan Pohlgeers | Tennessee Senate, District 03 | $30,000 | 61% of $50K |
| Craig D'Apolito | Tennessee House, District 64 | $25,000 | 100% of $25K |
Mostly funded from out of state
Candidates whose itemized contributions come mostly from donors outside Tennessee.
| Candidate | Office | Out-of-state money | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aftyn Behn | Tennessee House, District 51 | $58,800 | 85% |
| Allie Phillips | Tennessee House, District 75 | $51,232 | 80% |
| Jesse Huseth | Tennessee House, District 97 | $46,247 | 61% |
| Bryan Goldberg | Tennessee House, District 18 | $45,579 | 70% |
| Gabby Salinas | Tennessee House, District 96 | $25,900 | 51% |
| Kyler L. Gilkey | Tennessee House, District 84 | $10,576 | 93% |
| Justin Jones | Tennessee House, District 52 | $8,305 | 61% |
| Justin J. Pearson | Tennessee House, District 86 | $5,737 | 55% |
| Adam "Ditch" Kurtz | Tennessee Governor | $4,060 | 59% |
PACs giving to both parties
Committees whose contributions reach Democratic and Republican candidates alike — access money usually follows power, not platforms.
| Committee | To Democrats | To Republicans | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCA TriStar Fund | $23,000 | $209,900 | $232,900 |
| Tennessee Highway Contractors PAC | $23,500 | $189,500 | $213,000 |
| Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee PAC (WSWT) | $43,000 | $127,000 | $170,000 |
| Total Wine Political Action Committee | $15,000 | $146,000 | $161,000 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | $29,500 | $117,500 | $147,000 |
| Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) | $10,000 | $127,800 | $137,800 |
| Tennessee REALTORS PAC (RPAC) | $18,500 | $98,750 | $117,250 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield Of TN PAC | $12,000 | $99,500 | $111,500 |
| Tennessee First | $9,000 | $100,000 | $109,000 |
| Tennessee Health Care Assn PAC | $7,000 | $85,500 | $92,500 |
| TN Advance Financial PAC | $5,000 | $84,000 | $89,000 |
| Tennessee Manufactured Housing Assn PAC | $5,000 | $82,000 | $87,000 |
| Tennessee Telpac | $1,950 | $81,150 | $83,100 |
| Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Good Gov't Fund | $8,000 | $71,250 | $79,250 |
| Concerned Automotive Retailers PAC | $2,500 | $76,500 | $79,000 |
Single-employer donor blocs
Three or more donors who share an employer, giving to the same candidate. A bloc can be ordinary workplace enthusiasm — or coordinated giving worth a closer look.
| Employer | Candidate | Donors | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Cancer Center | Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee Governor) | 6 | $58,300 |
| Pilot Company | Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee Governor) | 17 | $45,901 |
| Hca Healthcare | Jack Johnson (Tennessee Senate, District 27) | 9 | $13,900 |
| Ewing Kessler, INC. | Julian A. McTizic (Tennessee House, District 80) | 7 | $13,300 |
| One Bank Of Tennessee | John Rose (Tennessee Governor) | 3 | $12,300 |
| Mid-State Construction | Ed Butler (Tennessee House, District 41) | 3 | $11,400 |
| Farm Bureau | John Rose (Tennessee Governor) | 3 | $10,850 |
| Community Health Systems | Jack Johnson (Tennessee Senate, District 27) | 18 | $9,750 |
| Boyle Investment Company | Brent Taylor (Tennessee Senate, District 31) | 3 | $8,600 |
| Non Applicable | Jake McCalmon (Tennessee House, District 63) | 8 | $6,299 |
| NHC | Cameron Sexton (Tennessee House, District 25) | 19 | $6,000 |
| Boyle Investment Company | Ron M. Gant (Tennessee House, District 94) | 4 | $5,750 |
Highest small-donor share
Campaigns where at least 40% of contributions came in amounts of $200 or less — often a sign of a broad grassroots base.
| Candidate | Office | Small-donor amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jones | Tennessee House, District 52 | $11,962 | 89% |
| Aftyn Behn | Tennessee House, District 51 | $53,045 | 77% |
| Gloria Johnson | Tennessee House, District 90 | $13,147 | 77% |
| Allie Phillips | Tennessee House, District 75 | $52,905 | 74% |
| Bryan Goldberg | Tennessee House, District 18 | $48,158 | 74% |
| Justin J. Pearson | Tennessee House, District 86 | $7,178 | 69% |
| Jesse Huseth | Tennessee House, District 97 | $49,039 | 63% |
| Sheila Grooms McMahan | Tennessee House, District 11 | $4,416 | 59% |
| Bethany N Miller | Tennessee House, District 80 | $7,401 | 54% |
| Brett Windrow | Tennessee House, District 13 | $7,535 | 52% |
| Jerri Green | Tennessee Governor | $127,043 | 51% |
| Teri Mai | Tennessee House, District 92 | $3,325 | 46% |
| Joni Cochran | Tennessee Senate, District 17 | $8,179 | 46% |
| Anne Backus | Tennessee House, District 33 | $3,479 | 43% |
| Lindsey Patrick-Wright | Tennessee Senate, District 17 | $8,559 | 41% |
How these lists are built: every row derives from Tennessee records already published on this site — self-funders are campaigns over $10,000 and majority self-funded; out-of-state requires a majority share on at least $10,000 raised; employer blocs need 3+ donors and $5,000 combined, with at most 2 blocs shown per candidate so one large campaign doesn't crowd out the rest; small-donor list requires at least 40% of contributions ≤$200 on at least $5,000 raised. Lists cap at 15 rows.