Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) won the Republican Party’s primary nomination in August, trouncing Metro Council Member Courtney Johnston with a 13-point victory, but his victory came despite the opposition of a well-funded and well-connected Never Trump political structure in Tennessee.
Ogles sailed to victory despite Johnston boasting better campaign funding, the support of Never Trump political consultant and former Governor Bill Lee administration member Blake Harris, the benefit of anti-Trump political organization Conservatives with Character, and her campaign being treasured by seasoned fundraiser Kim Kaegi.
When it came to fundraising, Federal Election Commission records reveal the Johnston campaign received about $785,000 during its short, months-long duration, while Ogles raised about $684,000 over the entire election cycle until the primary election.
They additionally show Ogles spent about $537,000, while Johnston (pictured above, right) spent roughly $518,000. But government records and public reports confirm the challenger benefited from additional outside spending.
The most significant organization backing Johnston was Conservatives with Character, which spent more than $640,000 on advertising in support of the candidate, including misleading mailers depicting Johnston alongside former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Ogles last year.
Conservatives with Character Treasurer Randy Stamps told The Tennessee Star the organization’s primary goal for the current political cycle was defeating Ogles in the Republican primary. Despite the content of the mailer sent by his group, Stamps told The Star he represents a contingent of Tennessee Republicans who are upset with the party’s direction under Trump.
Before Stamps’ group made one advertising spend, it received $140,000 from The Best of Tennessee, a strategically interlinked network of organizations founded by pro-abortion attorney Chloe Akers and Kaegi.
Though Kaegi co-founded The Best of Tennessee before Johnston declared her candidacy, Kaegi’s group made its significant contribution to Conservatives with Character while Kaegi served as Johnston’s campaign treasurer.
FEC reports appear to suggest additional links between the Johnston campaign and the Republican political establishment. The reports reveal that the Johnston campaign spent nearly $336,000 with Ad Victory, a political media buying company that touts its work for Governor Bill Lee as one of its case studies of successful clients.
Harris (pictured above, left) was similarly reported to be an early backer of Johnston. He formerly worked in Lee’s administration, where The Star reported he hired Never Trump officials in contradiction to the governor’s pro-Trump political messaging.
He also worked for former Senator Ben Sasse and former Representative Martha Roby, who both vigorously sparred with Trump.
While Harris’ current social media is uncontroversial, The Star reported that in 2018 that Harris shared or made a number of posts critical of the former president on the social media platform now known as X.
“One thing about tomorrow is that either way [Trump] can stop pretending to be a Republican,” Harris wrote in one post published on Election Day in 2016.
Ad Victory and Harris are not the Johnston campaign’s only links to Lee. FEC reports reveal it paid a person named Christian Potacek over $20,000 for consulting, campaign work, and reimbursements or fuel expenses.
This appears to be a typo for Christian Potucek, a former campaign intern for Lee, who now works as the governor’s deputy chief of staff in External Affairs. Potucek did not immediately return a press inquiry from The Star.
The Johnston campaign also spent about $71,000 to purchase a video shoot and ad from FP1 Strategies LLC, a political consulting firm that counts the Republican Governors Association (RGA) among its clients. Lee, who was elected RGA chair last year, is currently the chair of the RGA.
Johnston’s campaign spending destinations also overlap with the money spent by Conservatives with Character, as both entities reported payments to HTTV Direct LLC, which appears to be a Virginia-based political mailing firm.
Conservatives with Character spent $26,820 with HTTV Direct LLC, while Johnston’s campaign spent $1,561.
By contrast, Ogles was quickly endorsed by Trump after launching his bid for reelection and later received a string of endorsements from high-profile Tennessee Republicans, but the only outside group that significantly supported his campaign was Americans for Prosperity Action.
That group endorsed the incumbent in June and ultimately spent at least $177,000 supporting his reelection.
In the wake of Johnston’s defeat, one source told The Star that Harris is now working with Penny Schwinn, the controversial former Tennessee Education Commissioner, on a new education project funded by Never Trump money.
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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 “Courtney Johnston” by Courtney Johnston.Â
