With Early Voting under way and state and federal primary and county general elections just two weeks away, second quarter financial disclosures give a dollar-and-cents view of how legislative races are shaping up.

In the Senate District 18 primary, former interim Republican Senator Ferrell Haile started the second quarter with $134,620.88 and ended with a balance of $88,003.35 cash on hand. However, $8,078.56 of outstanding obligations would reduce unobligated funds to $79,924.79.

Haile raised $53,790 including $29,750 from 21 PACs and $1,000 from another senator. All was allocated to the primary except $1,400 from David Black for the November General.

Haile expended $91,004.90 in the current period while disbursing a total of $100,407.53, paying off $9,574.62 of $9,694.63 in outstanding obligations. The remaining $120.01 is owed to himself and carries over along with $7,958.55 in new outstanding obligations.

Haile received $1,400 in-kind contributions. He has an outstanding loan of $20,000 to himself.

Republican candidate Jeff Coker began the period with $12,237.06 and ended with $9,726.29. Coker raised $15,840 from individuals. He expended $18,330.77.

Republican candidate Tony Allers began with a balance of $371.98 and ended with $6,899.21. He raised $11,500 with $5,000 of that from Friends of Police PAC based on law enforcement ties. In addition he loaned $2,000 to his campaign. He expended $6,972.77.

Allers received $2,912 in-kind contributions. He has an outstanding loan of $2,000 from himself.

Republican candidate Brock Ewell began with a zero balance and ended with $1 on hand. Ewell contributed $279.33 to his campaign and spent $278.33 on Build-A-Sign.com.

Democrat Maria Brewer began with a zero balance and ended with $2,651.37. Brewer raised $6,785 with $4,435 in unitemized amounts of $100 or under. Retiring HD44 Rep. Mike McDonald contributed $250. Brewer expended $4,133.63. Brewer received $3,750 in-kind contributions.

Congressman Diane Black reported a balance of $14,001.51 in her state Senate account. Senator Kerry Roberts reported $20,444.44.

Guns blaze in HD45

The House District 45 Republican Primary has big guns blazing on both sides. No longer “a family discussion” as portrayed at the June county party forum, both candidates are fully engaged and are clearly in it to win it.

Both candidates have help from big guns. Governor Bill Haslam and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey are backing the incumbent. Gun groups and allies are backing the challenger. It is surreal, like watching an old Western barroom fight as every conceivable form of messaging, both positive and negative on both sides, slug it out. The only thing not difficult to stay focused on is what the fight is really about – winning the seat. In the mean time, no rumor or hint of rumor seems left to investigate.

HD45 Rep. Debra Maggart began 2Q with a balance of $86,066.59 and closed with $146,796.64. She raised $106,380.50 in itemized contributions. Of that $74,000 was from 58 PACs, $325 from two candidates, and $32,055.50 itemized individual contributions. Of the total, $79,880.50 was allocated for the primary with $27,400 allocated for the November General.

Notable contributions include David Black, chief strategist for the county party, with $1,400 each for the primary and the general, former SD18 candidate Bryan Bondurant  $250, SD18 candidate Tony Allers - $150, school board member Tim Brewer - $250, Tea Party member and Hendersonville alderman Arlene Cunningham - $250, Hendersonville alderman and mayoral candidate Garry Forsythe - $150, former party chairman Bob Hendricks - $150, Jay Ingrum who recently was admitted to the county party after having run against Maggart as a Democrat in 2004 - $100, Comm. David Kimbrough - $200, County Clerk Bill Kemp - $75, Hendersonville Chamber president Brenda Payne - $75,  School Director Del Phillips III - $250, Comm. Baker Ring - $75, school board member Vanessa Silkwood - $150, Sheriff Roy Weatherford - $150, Register of Deeds Pamela Whitaker - $75, and DAG Lawrence Whitley - $75.

Maggart expended $45,650.45 with $20,000 going to the House Republican Caucus and $1,400 to HD40 Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver. Maggart also reported $660.96 in-kind contribution from Johnson Poss Government Relations. She has an outstanding loan to herself of $2,500.

In addition to her personal campaign account, Maggart controls Maintaining Our Majority PAC (MOMPAC) as a leadership PAC. MOMPAC started 2Q with a beginning balance of $9,433.74 and received $3,400 in contributions to close with $12,833.74 on hand. AT&T PAC contributed $3,000 and Wesley Hall contributed $400.

Republican candidate retired Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers who is challenging Maggart began with a balance of $3,585 and closed with $10,229.93. She raised $38,397.87 with $3,264.54 in unitemized contributions of $100 or under and $35,133.33 itemized individual contributions. Of that she received the maximum of $7,100 from each of two PACs, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund and the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) Legislative Action Fund with another $150 from the Tennessee Tea Party Coalition and $20,783.33 from 35 itemized individual contributors.

Notable contributions include Cornerstone Church Pastor Maury Davis - $600, Brenda Davis from the same address - $1,400, Friends of Kerry Roberts - $500, John Harris III who is president of TFA and who attended Goodpasture with Maggart - $1,400, County Comm. Bob Pospisil - $500 aggregating to $1,000 with previous 1Q $500 contribution, and Comm. Jerry Stone - $400.

Rogers expended $31,752.94 with $3,500 going to Gill Media. Rogers also reported a $1,395.05 in-kind contribution.

Jeannette Jackson in the Democratic Primary reported nothing in and nothing out.

The NRAPVF PAC report showed a zero start balance and took in $77,873.87, all in unitemized contributions. Except for $7,100 contribution to Rogers and $2,500 to Rep. Josh Evans in Robertson County, the remaining funds are reported as $45,016.12 going to oppose Maggart and $23,257.75 to support Rogers.

TFALAC began with $3,661.71 and raised $12,801.46. John Harris personally contributed $2,000. It expended $10,600. Besides the $7,100 contribution to Rogers, another $3,500 was for advertising with Gill Media, Inc. A $5,863.17 balance of cash ammunition remains at the ready.

HD40

In a calmer district, incumbent Republican HD40 Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver started with $28,094.22. She raised $10,400 including from two PACs and four candidates. One is leadership JUDDPAC operated by House Speaker Pro Tem Judd Matheny. All three top House Republican leaders gave Weaver enough to max out the $1,400 for a primary. In November, Weaver faces the winner of a very tame two-way Democratic primary.

HD40 Democratic challenger Sarah Marie Smith of Smith County started with a zero balance and ended with $7,489.76. She raised $13,755 including from two PACs and two candidates and expended $6,265.24

HD40 Democratic challenger Wesley Hodges reported no contributions or expenditures

HD44

In the open HD44 race, unopposed Republican candidate William Lamberth II started with $32,982.54 on hand and ended with $44,013.37. He raised $19,101 with 12 PAC contributions and $1,400 from House Speaker Beth Harwell. Notable was $500 from Clay Haynes. Lamberth expended $8,070.17.

Unopposed Democratic candidate Steve Glaser started a zero balance and ended with $4,858.79. He took in $6,848 with $1,400 being a contribution from retiring incumbent Rep. Mike McDonald. He expended $1,989.21.

Retiring Rep. Mike McDonald also reports a balance of $14,466.57 on hand.

By Jesse Hughes