Two Republican groups, candidates condemn PAC ads

KINGSPORT — Republicans of Kingsport, the Sullivan County Republican Party and former Kingsport City Manager Jeff Fleming all are decrying political action committee mailers and advertisements in the Sullivan County mayoral race. So are both GOP primary candidates from Kingsport. One has been targeted by some PAC literature, the other one supported in some PAC mailers and an endorsement spread by email. A mailer from the Tennessee Stand PAC that arrived in mailboxes Tuesday and Wednesday blasts Republican primary hopeful Zane Vanover as a liberal "who isn't telling the truth," with a cover on the reverse side of the piece placing half of Vanover's face beside a half-face of former President Joe Biden, a nationally known Democrat. It says, "Vanover is a Democrat in Disguise," funded by "FAR-LEFT" liberal activist and "backed by an individual who donated to a pro-Black Lives Matter group." Meanwhile on Thursday, the first day of early voting in Kingsport and Bristol in addition to Blountville, early voting ballooned to more than 1,000 votes cast, by far the highest turnout of any day since early voting began April 15 in Blountville. It ends Thursday, April 30, and the regular primary election day is Tuesday, May 5. All told, 1,006 have cast ballots since April 15, comprised of 964 in the Republican primary and 42 in the Democratic one. Sullivan County Election Commission numbers show as of Thursday after voting ceased for the day, 2,634 Sullivan Countians cast ballots in early voting. A chart from election officials details the number of early voters in 2022 compared to this year so far. In comparison, in early voting leading up to the May 2022 primary in which incumbent Richard Venable narrowly won over challenger Stanley, Election Commission numbers show the cumulative turnout as as of the same day of early voting was 629, made up of 610 Republicans and 19 Democrats. For the May 5 primary, county Administrator of Elections Jason Booher has predicted a turnout of 10,000 to 12,000. In 2022, Good Friday fell within the early voting period, so no early voting took place then. PAC INFORMATION The two-sided head flier in question, which arrived in mailboxes starting Tuesday, is from Tennessee Stand, 4646 Chapman Highway, No. 85, Knoxville, home to Ship It Knox, a FedEx-authorized center for FedEx shipping services. It also listed an address of 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Officers listed for Tennessee Stand are Samantha Sammons and John E. Pence. The other group is Sullivan County First, a PAC that put out its first mailer back in February. That PAC lists addresses of 4307 N. Roan St., Suite 10 Private Mail Box 1003, Johnson City, at or near a Food City, and one of 126 C. St. N.W., Third Floor, Washington, D.C., a building called the Willard Center about half-way between the White House and Ford's Theatre in the nation's capitol. Officers listed for Sullivan County First are Jason D. Boles and Carissa Boles. Tennessee Stand also has paid for television ads, while Sullivan First announced U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-1st and of Kingsport, was endorsing Stanley via email. Neither group as of Thursday evening had filed any receipts or expenditures with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance. Vanover Tuesday decried the PACs as skirting election financial contribution laws and said they have no place in a county mayor's race. Stanley consistently has said she knows nothing about the two PACs and is running a positive campaign. ROK "Republicans of Kingsport has been made aware of multiple negative attacks on a Republican candidate for Sullivan County mayor," according to a statement ROK posted on Facebook Tuesday evening. "We denounce, in the strongest terms, the several PACs' tactics in labeling a candidate, a bona fide Republican, as liberal. "These PACs in question and their activity represent dark money, a tactic in which neither the sources nor amounts of funding and expenses is publicly available. At best, this is an extreme lack of transparency," the statement said. "At worst they represent deceit, dishonesty and an attempt to inflict injurious fracture of the Republican Party in Sullivan County. This is not welcome in our local elections. "ROK is not endorsing a candidate in a Republican Primary but we are condemning this negative behavior." FORMER CITY MANAGER JEFF FLEMING Likewise, former City Manager Jeff Fleming in a Facebook post also blasted what he called negative campaigning in the PAC ads. "Another day, another nasty mailer name-calling a member of the same party. If this were happening in school, it would likely be considered bullying punishable by detention or suspension. Sullivan County, we are better than this. Don't we want to teach our kids to be better than this?" Fleming wrote and posted Tuesday. "Zane Vanover is one of the kindest humans I know. NO ONE deserves to be treated like this in a local election. Interact in person, civilly, ask questions, reach your own conclusions. That's the American way. "I'm beyond tired of this kind of politics. It is abhorrent, and if people shrug and accept it, it will become the new normal. Why are all of these mailers tied to the same shadow address in an office building directly across from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.? Why is that building apparently home to a network of consultants and political operatives who can legally obscure who is really behind the messaging through a maze of shell arrangements, temporary titles, and one-off relationships? And why, of all places, would Washington, D.C., be so interested in the outcome of a county mayor's primary between two candidates of the same party in East Tennessee???" Fleming minced no words about the PAC ads in his Facebook post. "This is not healthy civic engagement. It is manufactured interference. It breeds suspicion, fuels resentment and leaves real damage behind long after Election Day has passed," Fleming wrote. "Hurt feelings will be deep. Divisions will linger. Trust will erode. And a community that has to live with itself after the campaign is over will be left to clean up a mess created by people who do not have to bear the consequences. If we allow this to stand without question, we should not be surprised when it happens again, and again, until it is simply accepted as the cost of local politics." ANGIE STANLEY, ZANE VANOVER "It's important for voters to understand how these situations work," Stanley said in a news release and Facebook post Wednesday evening. "Under federal and state election laws, campaigns are legally prohibited from coordinating with independent political action committees (PACs). What this means: My campaign has ZERO control over, ZERO prior knowledge of, and ZERO involvement in any mailers sent by outside groups — regardless of who they support or oppose." She continued: "Let me be very clear: I do not support or condone negative, misleading campaign tactics. That's not who I am, and it's not how I believe we should engage with one another in Sullivan County. I wish nothing more than for these negative mailers to stop immediately and regret they ever came to fruition. There will always be noise, evil and drama in politics, and unfortunately all social media outlets often fuel that behavior. Please know that I, nor any of you reading this, can control the behaviors and actions of others. We are each responsible for our actions." Stanley said she is running a campaign focused on transparency, respect and the issues that matter to Sullivan County. "So I think it's fair for voters to ask a simple question: Who actually benefits from this? It certainly has not benefited me. I remain committed to running a positive, issue-focused campaign and earning your vote the right way — through honesty, hard work, and respect for this county. Sullivan County deserves a mayoral race focused on the candidates' platforms, not outside political noise. I ask you to reach out to me for questions or concerns and ask that you do your best to avoid the distractions from people, media and those who mean harm that take us away from the platforms," she wrote. "Thank you for hearing directly from me. My family and I appreciate your prayers and support." Interviewed Thursday morning during the first day of early voting in Kingsport, outside the Civic Auditorium, Stanley said she was not trying to insinuate or have people infer she was saying Vanover supporters might be behind the PAC ads, although she said that has happened in the past in U.S. races. Wednesday, Vanover in an interview said: "Either she's (Stanley) not being truthful of knowing about the information or she's lost control of her campaign." He said that neither scenario is good form for someone trying to win a race to lead and be the face of the region's most populous Tennessee county east of Knoxville. COUNTY GOP STATEMENT Matthew Johnson, chairman of the Sullivan County GOP, a candidate for one of three District 6 County Commission seats and head of archives and tourism for the county, as GOP chairman released the following statement on Facebook Wednesday: "The Sullivan County Republican Party condemns negative campaigning when it is unfounded. While contrast has always been a natural and necessary part of the political process, it must remain rooted in truth and integrity," the statement says. "We can verify both Mr. Vanover and Mrs. Stanley are bona fide Republican, who have served faithfully — both to the Republican Party and to their constituents — throughout their years of public service. We do not support; and we condemn outside monies mislabeling our candidates. We encourage all Republicans to get out and vote May 5th," the statement continues. "Let us more forward with respect, honesty and a commitment to the values that unit us. May truth and civility prevail. And may God bless Sullivan County." Candidates who are not "bona fide," including those who did not vote in at least the last three of four GOP state primaries in which they were eligible to vote, were not allowed to be on the ballot in Sullivan County, no exceptions.