Republican Tennessee lawmaker spends $50k on new car, air fryer with campaign funds

Tennessee state Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown, spent nearly $50,000 in campaign funds on a new car, the third vehicle he has purchased through his campaign account in the past decade.

A recent campaign finance report filed by Southerland on July 9 shows Southerland paid $45,652 at a Morristown Toyota dealership on March 22, in addition to more than $4,000 in taxes on the purchase.

Though politicians are prohibited from using campaign funds for personal purposes, lawmakers have received permission for vehicles purchses in the past if it is used to travel to Nashville or on official campaign business.

In a response to an inquiry from The Tennessean, Southerland said he received permission from the director of campaign finance and ethics in 2014 and again this year for the vehicle purchase.

Southerland said an up-front vehicle purchase can save his campaign account up to $10,000, per his calculation of mileage rates and current reimbursements he is eligible for as a sitting legislator. Southerland said he does not reimburse himself for mileage driven in his district, though he receives mileague reimbursement during General Assembly sessions for trips to Nashville. The recent campaign finance filing indicates he deposits this reimbursement back into his campaign account.

"I represent five counties and I average 40,000 miles per year in driving to attend official state business meetings and campaign events," Southerland said.

Senate District 9, which Southerland represents, spans Tennessee's eastern border from Sevier County to Unicoi County.

In 2019, The Tennessean reported Southerland had spent $71,600 in 2019 and 2014 on two vehicles from another Morristown dealer.

More: Cigar bars, a new car and hotels in France: How some lawmakers spend their campaign cash

Both vehicles were traded in on the subsequent vehicle purchased, Southerland said.

Southerland also used campaign funds to buy a $277 air fryer from Amazon, which Southerland said was for his General Assembly office staff, though there are several kitchenettes open for use in the legislative office building.

"My employees are working through the lunch hour and by the time we get out of committee, a lot of the food in the lunch room is already gone. This appliance allows my employees to fix a meal in the office when they do not have time to take lunch," Southerland said.

"For the past several years, the committee that I chair is the first to close. This gives other committees additional meeting time and helps speed up the legislative session. When I was first elected in 2002, the legislative session ran until July 4th. Several sessions after that ran into June. Now, we try to get out in April or no later than the first week in May. By closing session early, we save thousands of dollars per day in per diem for our 132 legislators."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Republican Tennessee lawmaker spends $50k on new car, air fryer with campaign funds