TN GOP sends $230K to help out-of-state candidates

The Tennessee Republican Party spent more money helping elect candidates in Colorado and North Carolina than the Tennessee Democratic Party spent to elect its own candidates in the days leading up to the Nov. 4 election.

The state GOP sent $108,664 to the Colorado Republican Party on Oct. 17 and $22,000 to North Carolina's GOP party on Oct. 30. Those donations come after Tennessee's Republicans sent $100,000 to the Georgia GOP in July, according to federalelection filings. In comparison Tennessee Democrats spent about $104,000 in the days leading up to and immediately after the general election, according to filings.

The GOP also spent about $2,000 on a staffer to help Bill Cassidy crush incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in Louisiana's run-off election in December.

All told, the Tennessee GOP spent more than $220,000 to elect candidates in other states where there were competitive races for U.S. Senate. In each of those states, the Republican won, helping the GOP move into the majority in the nation's upper chamber.

"Our top priority as the Tennessee Republican Party every cycle is our state legislative races. That said, we see it as a sign of strength and a sign that we are a well-run party that ...we like to help our sister state parties around the country," said Brent Leatherwood, spokesman for the Tennessee GOP.

"After we kinda make sure our priorities here at home are fulfilled, we try to help those other state parties where we can."

A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court and a sizable contribution from a new Republican fundraising entity ensured the party could make those out-of-state donations.

Two days before the Tennessee GOP sent its $108,664 donation to Colorado, it received a contribution of $136,664 from the Targeted State Victory Committee. The committee was created in August in conjunction with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and state parties where there were contested Senate races, as Politico reported at the time.

The Politico article notes the Supreme Court's McCutcheon decision to strike down aggregate limits on donations: The ruling still caps the amount someone can donate to a party or person, but allows people to donate to as many entities as they would like.

The creation of the committee helped Republicans funnel money to states where Senate races looked tight, like the race between outgoing Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and Republican senator-elect Cory Gardner in Colorado.

In addition to the more than $1 million from the NRSC and Republican National Committee the Colorado GOP received in late October and early November, the GOP in other red states Montana and West Virginia also contributed more than $150,000 in the days before the election to help Gardner win. Both of those states also received substantial contributions from the Targeted State Victory Committee before sending the money to Colorado, according to federal election filings.

"West Virginia and Tennessee both had U.S. Senate races, neither of which were competitive. Obviously Colorado's Senate race was a huge focus nationally," said Conrad Lucas, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party. "Therefore, it was very much an all- hands-on-deck approach to supporting all efforts there to ensure Cory Gardner pulled it off."

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., easily defeated Democratic challenger Gordon Ball after surviving a primary challenge from outgoing state Rep. Joe Carr. West Virginia senator-elect Shelley Moore Capito cruised to an easy victory as well.

Gardner's campaign manager referred comment to the state GOP. A spokesman for the Colorado Republican Party declined comment.

Leatherwood said he believes the Tennessee Republican Party "provided a little bit of help" in ensuring the GOP took control of the U.S. Senate. He said Tennessee Republicans understood the importance of winning the Senate, and wouldn't be upset that the state party sent hundreds of thousands of dollars outside of Tennessee.

Party volunteers agreed to help campaign for candidates in neighboring states: Leatherwood said a small group of volunteers either ventured to neighboring states or made phone calls to support senators-elect David Perdue in Georgia, Tom Tillis in North Carolina and Tom Cotton in Arkansas.

Republicans living in the corners of Tennessee fall in television markets that subjected them to campaign ads for North Carolina and Arkansas, Leatherwood noted, so many were already interested in races in those states.

"Those are all things that are kind of a large approach that we take to try and help play a supportive role to what our other state parties are doing," Leatherwood said.

The state party still ended the year with about $350,000 in the bank, Leatherwood said.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.