From left, Todd Gardenhire, Greg VitalKEY DATES
• Oct. 9 — Last day to register to vote• Oct. 30 — Last day to request absentee ballot• Oct. 17-Nov. 1 — Early voting• Nov. 6 — Election Day
Despite calls for Republican unity, some Greg Vital donors won’t be supporting Todd Gardenhire’s state Senate bid against a Democrat.
“I’m not giving to Todd’s campaign,” said Chattanooga accountant Tom Decosimo, a prominent Republican donor and Vital’s former campaign treasurer. “Plenty of other people can give.”
A key fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Decosimo cited his involvement in other races and stressed that “it’s nothing against Todd,” but his remarks capture a common thread within Vital’s vast fundraising network. Numerous donors are simply unwilling to move on after Gardenhire accused Vital of dishonesty, campaign sabotage and bragging about his personal wealth.
The reluctance to help Gardenhire defies old-school GOP dogma, which implores Republicans to drop hostilities and support the nominee after a nasty primary.