Under fire by GOP rivals, Alexander amped up spending during 2nd quarter

photo Lamar Alexander
Arkansas-Tennessee Live Blog

NASHVILLE - Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander spent $623,840 between April 1 and June 30 as the two-term incumbent geared up for an increasingly contentious GOP primary battle with challengers Joe Carr and George Flinn.

Alexander also reported raising $867,880 in net contributions and still had $3.41 million in his campaign coffers as of June 30, according to his Federal Election Commission report.

Tuesday was the second-quarter filing deadline for federal candidates.

Memphis physician, businessman and multimillionaire Flinn, meanwhile, jump-started his late entry into the GOP's Aug. 7 GOP primary with a bang in the form of a $1.8 million personal loan, his first federal campaign disclosure shows.

Flinn reported raising just $7,000 from five individual contributors. He spent $146,331, much of it on cable and radio advertising, and on June 30 he reported having $1.66 million in cash on hand.

State Rep. Carr, R-Lascassas, the third major candidate in the GOP primary, reported raising $217,819 during the reporting period. He spent $387,384 and had a $442,221 cash balance as of June 30.

Unlike the U.S. House, senators do not file directly with the Federal Election Commission, instead filing with the Senate Secretary's office with the information later forwarded to the FEC.

The Senate Office of Public Records refuses to put the records online for the general public although they can be accessed by visiting their office in the U.S. Capitol located in Washington, D.C.

Candidates running in the Democratic primary include Knoxville attorney Terry Adams and fellow Knoxville attorney Gordon Ball, like Flinn a self-made millionaire. No information was available on their second quarter reports today.

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