Nashville’s Mayoral Race Is In Full Swing – Who Is Contributing The Most And To Which Candidates?

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] –

With the Nashville Mayoral race just around the corner, the question has been asked, who are the largest contributors and where is their money going? And better yet, will that translate to a win for those candidates? 

The following is a list of those who look to have the best shot at garnering the vote, if you consider that generally in most races those who spend the most money end up as the victors of the race. It has tended to be a rule universally true in most if not all political campaigns.

Since there are several running in this race, we have confined this article to the top three fundraisers.  The information below has been obtained  from campaign finance disclosures that were published in this report.

Matt Wilshire

With total funds of about 2.5 million dollars, Wiltshire leads the field in total funds raised. He received nearly $45,000 from nine different PACS, the top three of those being H.G. Hill Realty PAC ($9,400) Barge Design Solutions Inc. PAC ($9,300) and $8,900 from Ragan Smith Associates Inc. PAC.  Of the 3,500 donations received, more than 2,300 are unique donors. The makeup being a mixture of business owners, executives, CEOs, real estate professionals, attorneys, consultants, and investors.

Wiltshire also has some donations from some of Nashville’s most notable residents and high rollers, all of which are aligned with the Democrat party.

Freddie O’Connell

Coming in second in the most money raised in the race, is Freddie O’Connell, who according to a recent poll, leads the race. His following is being attributed to his being union backed, which certainly carries a lot of weight in a deep blue city like Nashville. O’Connell has raised nearly $713,000 dollars over the course of his campaign, with the three highest contributions coming from three different PACS:  Waller Lansden PAC ($5,000), A Better Tomorrow ($2,500) and $2,000 each from Gresham Smith PAC and Tennessee Laborers’ PAC.

Some of the more interesting contributors to O’Connell’s campaign is the Johnny Cash Museum, and an LLC connected to Tootsie’s.

Jeff Yarbro

Coming in third in fundraising is current state senator for District 21 in Davidson County, Jeff Yarbro. 

Senator Yarbro has raised about $510,000 over the course of his campaign. Included in the total number is a personal loan he secured in the amount of $50,000. Yarbro, of the three candidates mentioned in this report, has contributions from the largest number of PACS. A total of 19 PACS have contributed to his campaign, some of the largest contributions being Bivens & Associates lobbying firm ($5,000), United Food and Commercial Workers International ($5,000), and SHOW PAC ($4,600), a PAC funded by Haury & Smith CFO Joshua Morris and two horse trainers from Riverbend Country Club in Shelbyville.

This is only the top three candidates in the race, and there are several more which can be accounted for in recent reports.

About the Author: Kelly Jackson is a recent escapee from corporate America, and a California refugee to Tennessee. Christ follower, Wife and Mom of three amazing teenagers. She has a BA in Comm from Point Loma Nazarene University, and has a background in law enforcement and human resources. Since the summer of 2020, she has spent any and all free time in the trenches with local grassroots orgs, including Mom’s for Liberty Williamson County and Tennessee Stands as a core member.  Outspoken advocate for parents rights, medical freedom, and individual liberty. Kelly can be reached at kelly@tennesseeconservativenews.com.