National GOP Group Spending on Tennessee Congressional Elections

The National Republican Congressional Committee is investing heavily in some of Tennessee’s Congressional races.

The NRCC says it has spent more than 800-thousand dollars on ads targeting 8th district Democratic nominee Roy Herron. NRCC spokesman Andy Sere says the group isn’t contributing directly to the GOP candidate in that race, but it has named Stephen Fincher to its list of Young Guns—Republicans the NRCC has identified as potential new leadership in Congress.

4th District Challenger Scott DeJarlais is also on the Young Guns list. Sere says the group has given at least 85-thousand dollars to DesJarlais’ campaign to unseat Democrat Lincoln Davis. And in the last week, the organization has also taken out attack ads of its own in that race.

Meanwhile, none of the NRCC’s money is going to the Tennessee district the group was most interested in a year ago.

For months, Murfreesboro Democrat Bart Gordon was one of a handful of high-ranking representatives targeted by the NRCC. The group blasted Gordon in television and radio ads about his votes on health care, stimulus and energy legislation, in hopes of bolstering the case for whichever Republican challenged him. In December, Gordon announced his decision to retire. At that point the GOP campaign committee’s investment in the sixth district ended

Sere says his group hasn’t spent any more money on the district because it just isn’t needed anymore.

“You know in a Republican wave year where we have a battle tested campaigner in Diane Black up against Brett Carter who no one knows, this race is effectively won.”

Democrats have held the office for nearly thirty years. But the sixth district has been leaning Republican in other elections. It went to John McCain in the last presidential race. And the GOP now has a majority of the state legislative seats in the district.