Scottie Mayfield says he’s finished with politics and has developed an interest in woodcarving.Two years ago, onetime dairy executive Scottie Mayfield raised a record amount of money as he campaigned in Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann.
Mayfield finished second in the 2012 Republican primary, then largely faded from the public eye.
Now his influence — even as a noncandidate — is being brought to bear in the race he once wanted to win.
On Tuesday, Mayfield joined Fleischmann’s re-election team, lending his name to the incumbent’s campaign and leaving more of the fundraising and electoral pie available for him.
Mayfield said after his 2012 loss that he would be staying out of politics, but Monday he said he was supporting Fleischmann to “set the record straight.”