Jon Thorp, one of four independent candidates running for the open seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, told The Tennessee Star on Friday that he condemns the mailers sent by the Your Community PAC, a Democratic super political action committee (PAC) that supports Thorp’s independent bid while opposing Republican nominee Matt Van Epps.
Thorp made the comments about the mailers to The Star after The New York Times reported the Democrats’ super PAC sent the mailers to conservative voters in the district, prompting Thorp to call them an example of “ugly politics” that will confuse voters.
“They are misleading, they do not reflect my campaign or my values, and I believe they contribute to the political ugliness that voters are so tired of. I will continue to make that clear anywhere voters might be confused,” Thorp told The Star.
Noting that election laws prevent direct coordination between PACs and political campaigns, Thorp nonetheless told The Star he was exploring options regarding the mailers.
“What I can do, and what we are doing, is explore our limited legal and administrative options,” said Thorp. “This is a grassroots campaign without a large legal budget, but we are taking the issue seriously and determining what recourse is available.”
He also told The Star that he does not want, “outside actors speaking on my behalf or trying to influence voters with tactics I would not use myself.”
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports, Thorp has raised just over $12,000 since announcing his campaign, including a $1,000 loan from the candidate to his campaign. The Democratic super PAC reportedly spent $100,000 to support his candidacy.
Your Community PAC is also running an advertisement targeting Van Epps, the U.S. Army veteran and former Tennessee state official nominated by Republicans, who opposed the release of files associated with the deceased sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. In a Tuesday post to social media, Van Epps wrote that he supports “full transparency” regarding Epstein.
According to The Tennessee Lookout, the super PAC is also behind mailers urging Democrats to turn out for the election, and has spent more than $500,000 in the 7th Congressional District.
The website Open Secrets, which tracks political spending, reports that former Vice President Kamala Harris was the single largest recipient of support from the Your Community PAC in 2024, when the group directed more than $10 million to support her presidential campaign.
During the same election cycle, the super PAC spent nearly $2 million supporting former U.S. Senator Jon Tester, who lost his reelection bid in Montana last year. It also spent nearly $1 million opposing U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03).
The super PAC is notably focusing on Thorp and Van Epps campaigns despite State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) attracting support from Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who stopped short of appearing with Behn, or endorsing the Tennessee Democrat, during a Nashville campaign event held earlier this week.
Behn on Thursday disputed that she hates Nashville after audio surfaced of the candidate ranting about the city on social media.
Early voting continues through November 26. The general election will be held on December 2.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jon Thorp” by Jon Thorp.
