Anti-Lundberg PAC spends $500K ahead of election

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A political action committee behind anti-Jon Lundberg ads, mailers, and text messages in Tennessee Senate District 4 spent more than half a million dollars in the span of three weeks, new campaign finance reporting shows.

Lundberg, a two-term incumbent, is facing Bobby Harshbarger, son of Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, in the Aug. 1 Republican primary for the seat representing Sullivan and Hawkins counties.

In a new campaign finance disclosure filed on Monday, East Tennessee Conservatives PAC reported that it spent $516,920 from July 1–22.

The PAC’s largest expenditure during that period was $300,000 to Armada Strategies out of Lighthouse Point, Florida for a “media buy.” The PAC also reported $88,528 to political firm Axiom Strategies for “printing.”

To date, the PAC has reportedly spent $606,427 since Jan. 16.

Spending in the Tennessee Senate District 4 race has now surpassed $2.4 million, largely thanks to PACs. Despite the recent spending by East Tennessee Conservatives PAC, pro-Lundberg PACs have still spent more, campaign finance records show. As of Friday, pro-Lundberg PACs had reported spending nearly $1 million in support of the incumbent.

The two candidates’ campaigns have spent a combined $819,497, separate from PACs’ expenditures.

East Tennessee Conservatives PAC is at the center of an ethics complaint filed earlier this year alleging potential collusion between the PAC and Congresswoman Harshbarger.

The listed treasurer for the PAC is Thomas Datwyler, who is also Diana Harshbarger’s campaign treasurer. Datwyler is also the treasurer of Washington D.C.-based Great America Coalition, which has contributed $520,000 to East Tennessee Conservatives PAC, including $320,000 in July.

The complaint was forwarded to the state attorney general’s office by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

A separate ethics complaint alleging collusion between Lundberg and the PACs supporting him was dismissed last week .

Election Day is Thursday.

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