Money Talks: An in-depth breakdown of the biggest donors to local representatives

NASHVILLE — A Six Rivers Media analysis of campaign finance disclosures reveals the biggest donors to state legislators representing Northeast Tennessee. Earlier this week, Six Rivers Media used this data to break down the biggest region-wide donors, showing that more than $424,000 was donated during the 2024 election year to House members representing Districts 1 through 6 and District 7. Most of the donations come from out-of-district organizations and businesses. That's typical for state political action committees and lobbying groups to be located in Nashville or the surrounding area, as most of the lobbying opportunities would be found there. Eastman and Ballad Health, the area's largest and most prominent businesses, were relatively small donors to Northeast Tennessee representatives. Combined, they accounted for only $2,500 in donations. GO NETN was the largest regional contributor to Northeast Tennessee representatives, yet it was only the 10th-highest among all donors. The Bristol-based PAC gave $6,000 to local campaigns in 2024 Information online about GO NETN is limited. Search engine results show no immediately clear links as to which organizations or groups the PAC is linked to. It is important to note that a donation does not necessarily imply a candidate is "bought" by any particular organization or political action committee. Contributions may arise from shared values between a candidate and a political action group, rather than directly influencing a candidate's priorities. Detailed information on total contributions received and top donors of each representative in the region is listed below. These totals do not include loans or funds a candidate has contributed to their own campaign. The Tennessee Online campaign finance database often rounds numbers to the nearest multiple of five, so some totals may be skewed slightly as a result. State Rep. Renea Jones, R-Unicoi Total donations for 2024 election year: $113,915 Top Donor: MARSHA PAC ($5,000); Wine and Spirit Wholesalers of Tennessee ($5,000) Jones was the region's top fundraiser in 2024, likely because she was vying for the Republican nomination for the District 4 seat left open by former state Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. Her campaign saw a large portion of donations from individuals not associated with a political party or political action committee. One of her top donors was Making a Responsible Stand for Households in America (MARSHA), the political action committee tied to U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-TN. Blackburn is currently running against U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-TN, for governor of Tennessee. Rose also contributed to Jones' 2024 campaign with $2,000. He was the 6th-highest contributor to all Northeast representatives in 2024, shelling out $7,000 to all six representatives. Jones' other top contributor was Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee, the largest contributor to state campaigns. State Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Johnson City Total donations for 2024 election year: $77,700 Top Donor: Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee ($3,000) Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee is the state's largest campaign donor, contributing $1.4 million to state elections in 2024. Alexander's campaign was far from the organization's highest contribution. WSWT gave $27,000 to Sen. Richard Briggs', R-Knoxville, 2024 campaign. Briggs then went on to sponsor a bill last year which heavily restricted the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoids in the state and shifted regulatory authority to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission. State Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray Total donations for 2024 election year: $74,400 Top Donor: HCA Healthcare ($6,000) HCA Healthcare spent a sizable amount on Northeast Tennessee campaigns, at $19,000, making it the largest donor to local representatives. There are 17 HCA Hospitals in the state, none of which are located in East or Northeast Tennessee. By comparison, Ballad Health spent only $1,500. Another medical industry organization, Tennessee Anesthesiologists PAC, came in as Hicks' 3rd-highest donor, at $4,000. Hicks has three other housing-based PACs in his top six donors.