Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., speaks at the Susan B. Anthony List and Life Institute Luncheon Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee candidates for governor are raising millions of dollars in contributions, but the big money is coming from the contenders themselves.
A state campaign finance disclosure report filed this week shows that Republicans Diane Black and Bill Lee had the most in contributions this quarter - each around $3.3 million.
Black, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, gave $3 million of her own money to her campaign, the report says. Lee, a Williamson County businessman, loaned his campaign $3 million, according to the filing. The campaign finance disclosure covers money the campaigns raised in the first quarter of this year.
Republican Randy Boyd, a Knoxville businessman who served in the cabinet under Gov. Bill Haslam, raised a little more than $2.6 million, but $2 million was money he gave to himself.
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democrat, raised a little more than $549,000.
House Speaker Beth Harwell, a Republican, received no money, and neither did state Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, a Democrat who is House Minority Leader. Both state lawmakers are barred from raising money while the Legislature is in session.