Blackburn, Bredesen each report raising $1.8 million from donors, PACs in US Senate filings

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn raised slightly more money from donors than former Gov. Phil Bredesen during the first three months of the year, according to disclosures from their respective campaigns for the U.S. Senate.

Bredesen, a Democrat, received more than $1.8 million from donors from mid-January to late March, his campaign said Monday.

His fundraising effort was bolstered by an additional $1.4 million Bredesen loaned the campaign while seeking to "jumpstart TV and digital advertising."

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Shortly after Bredesen, who is the lone top-tier Democrat in the race, announced his fundraising totals, Blackburn, the leading Republican, countered by saying she had outperformed the former Nashville mayor.

“The Marsha for Senate campaign today announced that it raised more than $2 million in the first quarter of 2018, outraising Phil Bredesen’s campaign,” the campaign said in an email, touting her latest totals.

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Prior to Bredesen's announcement, Abbi Sigler, a spokeswoman for Blackburn's campaign, said the campaign did not anticipate releasing Blackburn's totals before they're on the Federal Election Commission's website.

Sigler later provided the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee a summary of Blackburn's disclosure, which paints a more complex picture about the fundraising figures.

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The detailed reporting summary Blackburn provided the Federal Election Commission indicates she received $1.4 million in contributions from individuals and another $432,200 from political action committees.

By comparison, Bredesen's filing shows he received $1.6 million in contributions from individuals and $151,000 from PACs.

The disclosures indicate Blackburn outraised Bredesen by $78,200 in terms of donations from donors and PACs during the latest reporting period.

Since the race began, Blackburn has reported receiving $1.3 million from PACs alone, while Bredesen reported $165,800.

To get to the $2 million total cited in the email, Blackburn’s campaign included nearly $52,000 that she transferred from the Blackburn Victory Fund, a committee she previously set up related for her House seat.

The campaign also counted $13,800 in interest and another $64,500 in “offsets to operating expenditures” as part of its latest fundraising total.

According to the Federal Election Commission, such offsets are “not considered contributions.”

The FEC defines offsets as “returns by vendors of deposits, reimbursements for expenses shared by committees, vendor refunds and rebates.”

Bredesen's personal loan to his campaign comes after he previously said he did not currently plan on contributing money to his campaign.

“For cash flow purposes I’m perfectly willing to lend money to the campaign,” he said last month.

The $1.4 million he gave his campaign came in the form of a loan, not a contribution.

In March, the former Nashville mayor began airing TV ads on stations throughout the state, including the Fox News Channel.

In recent months, Blackburn has also made several appearances on national TV and begun running ads on radio.

Bredesen previously reported raising $518,000 in the first 24 days of entering the race.

Blackburn previously reported raising $2 million in the first two months of her campaign, which launched in October.

As of publication, neither Bredesen or Blackburn's financial disclosures are available on the Federal Election Commission's website.

The race between the two is expected to rival the most expensive election in state history, which was the 2006 U.S. Senate election between Bob Corker and Harold Ford Jr. That race featured an estimated $34 million in spending.

The following is a summary of totals by category in the latest financial disclosures for Blackburn and Bredesen:

Latest disclosure Total to date

Total individual contributions

Blackburn $1,461,684 $3,627,205

Bredesen $1,636,417 $2,134,586

Contributions from PACs

Blackburn $432,204 $1,337,654

Bredesen $151,350 $165,850

Total contributions

Blackburn $1,893,888 $4,964,860

Bredesen $1,815,665 $2,333,735

Money transferred in

Blackburn $51,909 $216,655

Bredesen $0 $0

Loans

Blackburn $0 $0

Bredesen $1,405,000 $1,405,000

Offsets to operating expenditures

Blackburn $64,593 $65,279

Bredesen $192 $192

Other receipts (dividends, interest)

Blackburn $13,881 $45,343

Bredesen $0 $0

Total disbursements

Blackburn $761,186 $2,039,550

Bredesen $1,973,857 $1,998,380

Current cash on hand

Blackburn $5,906,913

Bredesen $1,740,547

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.