In the heady late fall days of 2017, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, basking in whatever degree of unpopularity he believed President Donald Trump had in the state, apparently was feeling good about his chances of taking the open U.S. Senate seat just about a year hence.
So when he was asked by various news organizations, including the Times Free Press, whether he would help self-fund his campaign with some of his net worth - estimated between $88.9 million and $358 million - he shook his head.
"I think at this point," he said, "I have earned the right to go out and raise money."
Well, the Democrat Bredesen's raised plenty of it, as his his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn.
But he apparently wasn't able to raise enough to do what he wanted when he wanted and for low long he wanted to do it.
In March, he said his first-quarter contribution of $1.4 million was just to jump-start television and digital advertising. Remember the pseudo kind words for Trump and his slogan of "I'm applying for the job"?
However, his third-quarter filing with the Federal Election Commission shows he personally loaned or guaranteed loans to the campaign totaling $2 more million. And that brought the total he has put in his effort so far to $7,455,000.
Bredesen's decision to self-fund reminds us a bit of the 1976 Tennessee U.S. Senate campaign between incumbent Republican Bill Brock of Chattanooga and Democratic challenger Jim Sasser.
Sasser's plan was capitalize on the finances of Brock, an heir to his family's confectionery business, and who it turned out had paid $2,026 in taxes on a 1975 income of $51,670 - less than 5 percent. He also took to referring to the senator by his full given name, William Emerson Brock III.
The effort led to signs and buttons that said: "I paid more income tax last year than Bill Brock."
"Make him spend it all" was another mantra supporting Sasser heard around the state.
We don't know that she'll need to, but the idea of gigging Bredesen on his money vow is one Blackburn - with a net worth of an estimated $568,007 - also could consider.
After all, Sasser ended up winning 52-47 percent.