The Federal Election Commission (FEC) pre-primary reports were due on July 23 and three candidates – retired National Guard General Kurt Winstead, former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell, and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles – continue to show a massive financial lead over the rest of the nine-candidate field in the August 4 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Eight of the nine candidates filed the required report by July 23, which covered the reporting period dates of July 1 through July 15.
Retired General Kurt Winstead’s report shows that he raised $83,210.00, spent $490,856.36, and has $407,785.15 on hand. His report additionally shows $696,225.00 in debt obligations owed by the campaign.
$460,000 of that is in the form of a line of credit owed to Pinnacle Bank, while $220,000 of it is in personal loans owed to Winstead himself. Additionally, Winstead owes $16,225.00 to the polling firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates.
Former Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell raised $53,946.00, spent $258,416.19, loaned her campaign $150,000, and is showing $380,300.86 cash on hand.
Maury County Mayor Ogles raised $17,315.00, spent $242,775.48, and shows $283,338.13 cash on hand. His report additionally shows an outstanding loan to the campaign in the amount of $320,000.
Previously reported, Ogles filed his July quarterly report eight days late on July 23, nearly simultaneously with his pre-primary report.
The results of Ogles’ July quarterly campaign finance report shows he misled the public in a May press statement regarding the amount of money he raised.
The bulk of the money being spent by Winstead, Harwell, and Ogles is for mass communication such as television ads.
Combat veteran Jeff Beierlein raised $4,923.64, spent $64,792.79, and has $19,126.73 cash on hand. His report also shows that his campaign has an outstanding loan to the candidate in the amount of $100,283.46.
State Senate aide Tres Wittum raised $0, spent $10,000, and shows $16,188.24 cash on hand.
Paramedic Timothy Lee raised $1,750, spent $2,507.55, and shows $11,085.23 on hand. His report additionally shows $44,850.00 in debt owed to the candidate.
Realtor Stewart Parks raised $1,668.00, spent $1,994.86, and shows $698.24 on hand.
Natisha Brooks raised $1,200, spent $450, and has $525.26 cash on hand.
Businesswoman Geni Batchelor appears to have accidentally filed her October quarterly report, which shows $3,000 raised, $1,082.83 spent, and $3,480.27 cash on hand.
Less than a week is left in the early voting phase of the TN-5 Republican primary, which is scheduled to occur on August 4.
Early voting began on July 15 and ends on July 30.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, Truth Social, and Parler.
Photo “Kurt Winstead” by Kurt Winstead for Congress. Photo “Beth Harwell” by Beth Harwell. Photo “Andy Ogles” by Mayor Andy Ogles for Congress. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.
I think Geni Batchelor should have pulled signatures to run for STATE House not US House,. She’s totally naive and clueless. Seems to have a freshman at college “running “ her campaign
Anyone that votes for Beth Harwell has a VERY VERY short memory or they were never involved to begin with in TN politics.
Harwell will be another Susan Collins, “they like me they REALLY REALLY like me”. A reliable note for Democrats when they need it.
Gen Hairpiece is a hard mo.
Ogles, just not sure about this guy. Is he running a anti-campaign campaign?
Mark, Beth Harwell has an American Conservative Union score pf 86%. Susan Collins has an ACU score of 43%. I don’t think we have anything to worry about Beth being anything like Susan Collins.
Stuart, your point being? Beth Harwell will be exactly like Collins and Murcowski. Not real concerned with her ACU rating, Matt Schlapp is not the most honest individual.
The business-lobby-domineering, more-immigration-and-amnesty crowd loves Koch-puppet Andy Ogles. Also, one cannot be a native of more than one county. Ogles is not a native of either of the two counties stated on his Web site and by a commenter above. Ogles has said he was born in Nashville, which is probably the truth. But obfuscation and empty grandstanding are his MO.
With Andy’s failure to run a creditable race for conservatives this contest boils down to whether or not we can engage in tactical voting so as to prevent former Democrat Gen. Weathervane from buying the 5th District seat in Congress. Obviously there is only one way to accomplish this task, viz. vote for Beth Harwell (ACU-86%).
I know Andy presents an alluring shinny object for conservatives that’s hard to resist. About a month ago that allure cost me a significant amount of money. Unfortunately, I don’t think he can win and I see no conceivable reason why any conservative would waste a vote on a No Record/No Chance candidate in this hotly contested race. A vote is a terrible thing to waste – VOTE HARWELL.
**STOMPER HANDICAP**
ANDY OGLES
RECORD GRADE: A
CAMPAIGN GRADE: F
ARGUMENT FOR: Proven leader in office; will be needed when Dems attempt to bring back Covid interventions
ARGUMENT AGAINST: If Lulu Elam has frequent broadcast ads, why doesn’t Andy Ogles?
BETH HARWELL
RECORD GRADE: B
CAMPAIGN GRADE: B
ARGUMENT FOR: Conservative most of the time
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Likely capable of a Lindsey Graham moment
KURT WINSTEAD
RECORD GRADE: D
CAMPAIGN GRADE: A
ARGUMENT FOR: Is always what the current TN political establishment rewards
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Is always what the current TN political establishment rewards
JEFF BEIERLEIN
RECORD GRADE: A (Non-elected office positions)
CAMPAIGN GRADE: B
ARGUMENT FOR: Impressive personal resume
ARGUMENT AGAINST: May draw enough support from Ogles and Harwell to throw the race to Winstead
**WE NEED A REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RUNOFF**
WELL DONE, NS!
As for runoffs, sorry the Republican establishment likes their Democratic voters in Republican primaries just fine thank you so its first past the post ONCE until the Dems start voting for conservatives.
Sorry, I got a little turned around. You did say “runoffs” not “closed primaries.” As for runoffs – nobody, I mean N-O-B-O-D-Y, in office even suggests such a reasonable thing. I guess after subsidizing Ford and new sports stadiums we’re too broke to run more elections.
Remember – the only way to have a conservative win this is by Andy Ogles. Beth Harwell will split the conservative vote and is not as conservative or well supported as Andy!
Of the several candidates running for the Republican nomination for the new 5th Congressional District in Tennessee, looks like we realistically are ‘down’ to just three—Ogles, Harwell, and Winstead.
I think we all know what we will ‘get’ with each if that person happens to be elected.
Winstead really is probably just a Democrat who merely says that he is a Republican (if the guy is a Republican, he is likely only one of convenience, not conviction). His bio says that he is the son of ‘educators.’ A person does not usually stray too far from his ‘roots’ and other deeply ingrained personal loyalties. I have found in my experience that the word ‘educators’ is generally just code for ‘Democrat’ (at least in Tennessee) when used by people in politics. The teachers themselves know what is meant by the use of this word.
Harwell was born, and grew up, in the greater metropolitan area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She came to Tennessee as a college student, married and never left. She is a Republican, but she has proven herself to be a more liberal Republican than probably most Tennesseans are comfortable with. She is sixty-five years old (or thereabouts).
Ogles is a native of Williamson County and Maury County, Tennessee. He went to college in Tennessee, and he has been a businessman in Tennessee. The ‘big money’ and the Republican ‘establishment’ would probably prefer NOT to have Ogles as their new Congressman although I do not see that they are openly hostile to him—he is ‘acceptable’ as they would say. Ogles is a Tennessee conservative with Tennessee values (born and bred). I myself call Ogles the ‘real deal.’
So, realistically, there are your choices.
Beth Harwell voted FOR an Article V Constitutional Convention, that should tell everyone NO do NOT vote for her.
Just curious about your reasoning on this topic. Why would that have been a bad idea? We get nothing of substance done the way things are being done currently. The status quo elitists do not want we the people to have any say in things.