Tennessee campaign finance records show that State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) began the year with more than $1 million to spend on his reelection campaign, while several other Republican senators reported significant fundraising hauls or cash on hand.
The January filing by Johnson’s campaign shows the Republican leader raised more than $445,000, bringing his total cash on hand to just over $1 million as he entered the election year. Johnson briefly faced another primary challenge from Gary Humble, whom he previously defeated by less than 1,000 votes in 2022, but Humble called off his campaign last year.
Despite beginning the reporting period with just $18,000 in the bank, State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) ranked just behind Johnson (pictured above, left), having raised $405,000 during the reporting period. Taylor began 2026 with $963,000 in the bank, the second-highest among Republican state senators.
Taylor (pictured above, right) also loaned his campaign $600,000 on January 8.
State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) had the third-highest fundraising haul during the reporting period, raising $314,000, and entering the midterm year with about $585,000 in his campaign bank account.
He raised just slightly more than State Representative Bo Watson (R-Hixson) and State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Lebanon), who each respectively reported slightly more than $298,000 and $290,000 in receipts.
Watson started 2026 with about $743,000 in the bank, while Briggs had about $612,000.
Two more Republicans in the State Senate entered the year with significant cash on hand, though a smaller portion of the funding came from recent fundraising.
State Senator Becky Massey (R-Knoxville) reported more than $636,000 in her finance report, but only reported raising about $93,000, while State Senator Ed Jackson (R-Jackson) similarly reported $405,000 in his campaign account, though only raised roughly $63,000.
Tennessee Republicans will hold their primary elections on August 6, and the General Election will be held on November 3.
In addition to casting ballots for state and federal lawmakers and Tennessee’s next governor, voters will vote on an amendment to the state constitution that would prohibit the General Assembly from instituting a statewide property tax.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
