In the theater of Tennessee politics, candidates often run on platforms of “change” and “new direction”. Yet, when you pull back the curtain on the campaign finance reports for Tony Hullender, a candidate for the District 27 seat, we don’t find a clean break from the past. Instead, we see the echoes of the very establishment that voters were seemingly eager to move on from just two years ago.

For those who followed the 2024 primary, the defeat of long-term incumbent Patsy Hazelwood by current State Rep.

Michele Reneau was a definitive moment. It signaled a desire among Republican primary voters for a shift in leadership and philosophy. However, the financial backing of Mr. Hullender - who is currently challenging Rep. Reneau - suggests that the old guard’s influence is attempting a comeback.

A review of recent donation filings reveals a donor list that should give any primary voter pause. The presence of influential PACs - including the Beverage Association of Tennessee, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and “HAZ-PAC” speaks volumes. It is particularly notable that HAZ PAC is run by the former incumbent, Pasty Hazelwood herself, who is actively using this vehicle to support Mr. Hullender’s bid to unseat her successor.

That pattern of outside influence continues with the latest campaign mailer supporting Mr. Hullender, which is paid for by the Best of Tennessee Action Fund PAC. When you combine this with the support for the TennesseeCAN Action Fund PAC for his TV commercial, it becomes clear that Mr. Hullender’s campaign is being heavily bolstered by PACs. You can bet there is more to come.

Perhaps most telling is the presence of David Litchford on the contributor list. As the husband of former Rep. Hazelwood, his financial support for a candidate running against the person who defeated his wife is hardly a neutral act. When coupled with the fact that a significate portion of Hullender’s donor base consists of individuals who were long time financial supporters of the former incumbent, the picture of an establishment-backed campaign is complete.

When you see the same donors, a host of PACs, and the same familiar interests aligning against an incumbent who successfully challenged the old system, the implications are clear: this is not a campaign for a fresh start. It is an effort to reclaim a seat that the establishment lost in 2024.

By backing a challenger to Rep. Reneau, these interests are essentially attempting to “undo” the 2024 primary election results. They are not merely funding a new candidate; they are funding a restoration project.

Voters in District 27 must ask themselves: Is their vote a tool to empower a new voice, or are they being steered back toward a political infrastructure that they already voted to replace? We do not need representatives who are obligated to special interest groups and PACs before they even take office. When a campaign is built on the financial foundations of the past, it is naïve to expect that it will govern for the future. As we approach the primary, we should look past the campaign signs and consider the ledger because it is there that the true agenda is written.

Greg Campbell
Signal Mountain