Update: This story was updated Oct. 6 with the latest spending data from the School Freedom Fund.
Out-of-state groups have funneled millions of dollars into Tennessee’s special congressional race, outpacing the fundraising totals for most frontrunners.
More than $842,000 of outside money has gone to opposing Republican state Rep. Jody Barrett — far outspending supporters of any other candidate.
Barrett, R-Dickson, is one of four frontrunners in a crowded Republican primary. The two-term lawmaker has used his voting record to set himself apart from nearly a dozen candidates, pointing to moments in which he broke from his party. Barrett voted against a 2024 franchise tax reform which gave $700 million in rebates to mainly out-of-state businesses. Earlier this year, Barrett voted against expanding the governor’s school voucher program.
That move seems to have drawn ire from the out-of-state PAC School Freedom Fund which spent millions supporting pro-voucher candidates in last year’s statehouse primaries. To date, the group has spent more than $500,000 attacking Barrett in the District 7 congressional race.
Only one man is behind the PAC this year. Billionaire Jeff Yass, one of the richest men in the world, is the sole donor to School Freedom Fund. He made a $10-million-dollar donation in June, two days after then-U.S. Rep. Mark Green announced he was retiring from Congress.
MORE: Meet the congressional candidates for Tennessee’s special election
School Freedom Fund had supported another congressional candidate — Rep. Lee Reeves, R-Franklin — when he first ran for the statehouse last year. However, the fund was not among Reeves’ supporters for congress before the freshman lawmaker suspended his campaign. The PAC did not support any candidate until President Donald Trump endorsed former Tennessee commissioner and veteran Matt Van Epps.
Van Epps has benefitted from more than $600,000 in out-of-state PAC money, including from Patriotic Fund, which can trace a majority of its funding to the parents of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Van Epps has also been endorsed by Green to replace him in congress. Aside from out-of-state funding, Van Epps has raised the most money from individual contributions, having announced his candidacy ahead of other frontrunners. Reeves and Barrett were close behind in fundraising totals.
Some money in the race has come from the candidates themselves. Reeves loaned himself $300,000 for his campaign on top of nearly $270,000 in fundraising. Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Franklin, added nearly $500,000 to his campaign, the most of any candidate putting their own money into the race. Of the race’s frontrunners, Republican or Democrat, Bulso has raised the least at around $56,000.
On the Democratic side, Nashville businessman Darden Copeland loaned his campaign $125,000, while still raising the most money of the four Democrats running. State Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, came in second for total amount raised and put $10,000 of his own money into the race.
Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, was the only Democratic candidate who brought in money from out-of-state groups. United We Succeed spent $80,000 on phone calls and radio ads in support of Dixie.
The primary election is set for Oct. 7 with the general election on Dec. 2.
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