NASHVILLE - Outside groups have so far blown through $21.89 million as they seek to sway Tennessee voters in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen.
The total is expected to go much higher before the Nov. 6 election.
Early Friday, The Tennessee Journal reported $19.4 million had been spent, with nearly one out of every $3 going either toward backing Blackburn, a Brentwood congress member, or attacking former governor Bredesen.
Hours later, the figure rose to nearly $22 million as new expenditures were reported.
Among them was the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, which reported to the Federal Election Commission that it has spent $804,000 to develop and run television, cable, digital and other advertising.
Half went toward backing Blackburn. The remainder is slamming Bredesen, who as governor once had an "A" rating from the group until he vetoed a "guns in bars" bill. It allowed state handgun-carry permit holders to bring their firearms into establishments selling alcohol provided they don't drink. State Republican lawmakers later overrode the veto.
In his Senate effort, Bredesen has touted his lifelong ownership of guns and general support for Second Amendment rights. He says he is with the powerful gun lobby on about 80 percent of its issues, while disagreeing on some issues like gun-show background checks. Blackburn says she's a solid supporter of Second Amendment issues.
NRA Political Victory Fund Chairman Chris Cox in a statement called Blackburn a "champion of Second Amendment freedoms" and attacked Bredesen.
"Phil Bredesen earned a "D" rating from the NRA because he turned his back on law-abiding gun owners," Cox said. "He is being proudly supported by anti-gun extremists Chuck Schumer and Michael Bloomberg."
After the NRA endorsed Blackburn in mid-September, Bredesen released an ad showing him shooting skeet. He later tells viewers that growing up in rural New York state "I was taught to always think for myself. My support of the Second Amendment is a good example. It's definitely not always popular. But it's the way I grew up with and so have many of you."
But the NRA's spending so far is dwarfed by others.
The largest amount of outside spending in the contest so far - $6.5 million - has come from a Democratic group, Majority Forward, which has ties to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Other top spenders, however, are Republican-aligned groups. One of them, the Senate Leadership Fund which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has spent nearly as much as the Democratic group - $6.4 million.
Independent expenditures by Americans for Prosperity, associated with the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, stand at $4.7 million with money pouring into everything from ads to direct mail and canvassing neighborhoods.
The Tennessee GOP has also jumped in with about $450,000 from its federal account.
On Friday, Bredesen's pro-confirmation stance on President Donald Trump's U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, cost him the support of two other Democratic independent expenditure groups. One was MoveOn.org, which said it had previously planned to spend in the "six figures" in support of Bredesen.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.