Jim Tracy, who is employed as a “Senior Advisor to the Department of Commerce and Insurance,” is a board member of the political organization that recently sent $140,000 to a super PAC attacking Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and supporting Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District scheduled for August 1.
Tracy was named a board member of The Best of Tennessee in a June 6 article by Tennessee Lookout, which reported that he was then “a Senior Advisor to the Department of Commerce and Insurance.”
Tennessee’s State Employee Salary Search confirmed Tracy is a current state employee as of Thursday. It also confirmed Tracy is paid $10,827 per month, or just under $130,000 per year.
Tracy previously represented Shelbyville’s 14th District in the Tennessee State Senate. He was elected in 2004 and held his seat until he was appointed to a Trump administration role in 2017. State Senator Shane Reeves (R-Murfressboro) won the special election prompted by Tracy’s departure.
In addition to Tracy (pictured above), the Tennessee Lookout reported that 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike McWherter, the son of former Governor Ned McWherter, is also on The Best of Tennessee’s board.
Ned McWherter was specifically named by Never Trumper political consultant and lobbyist Tom Ingram, one of three founders of The Best of Tennessee, as a Democrat for whom he holds “deep respect” in a 2022 speech.
Other founders of The Best of Tennessee include pro-abortion attorney Chloe Akers and seasoned political fundraiser Kim Kaegi, who is also the treasurer for Johnston’s campaign.
The Best of Tennessee’s $140,000 contribution to Conservatives with Character came one month before the second group began a $140,000 ad campaign targeting Ogles and supporting Johnston.
Randy Stamps, the treasurer for Conservatives with Character, told The Tennessee Star the two groups share a “mindset.” He also confirmed his group was behind the recent mailers which depict former President Donald Trump juxtaposed next to Johnston, despite the former president having endorsed Ogles last year.
Stamps confirmed the group is currently solely focused on defeating Ogles, and despite the mailers identifying purported similarities between Trump and Johnston, told The Star, “there’s still a lot of Republicans that want to think through things and not just follow some personality and let that personality totally dominate the Republican Party.”
The Conservatives with Character treasurer also called Ogles an “embarrassment” who “doesn’t have good character values.”
On Monday, Ogles noted the mailers were sent in the wake of the attempted assassination of the former president, and told The Star it was “disgraceful and despicable” to “exploit Trump’s name at a time like this for the sake of deceptive politics.”
A source familiar with the matter additionally told The Star that both Trump campaign officials and the former president were made aware of the mailers and were “not pleased.”
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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 “Jim Tracy” by TNEnvironment.
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