The week in politics: Why state Sen. Ken Yager is filing a campaign finance complaint

Campaign season is already off to a rocky start.

In Senate District 4, which includes Hawkins and Sullivan counties in Northeast Tennessee, text messages funded by East Tennessee Conservatives PAC have been sent attacking incumbent Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, who recently sponsored Gov. Bill Lee's school choice legislation.

The attack messages are the subject of a campaign finance complaint filed late last month by Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager, R-Kingston. Yager asks the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance to investigate potential "ethical and/or registry violations" by the campaign of Bobby Harshbarger ― who is challenging Lundberg. Harshbarger is the son of U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Kingsport.

"While dirty campaign tricks are an unfortunate part of the political process, I am concerned this is something far more serious," Yager wrote in the complaint, describing the text messages as containing "lies, misleading statements, and blatant falsehoods."

Yager alleges illegal "collusion" between Bobby Harshbarger's campaign and the East Tennessee Conservatives PAC.

State and federal law prohibit coordination between political campaigns and PACs making independent expenditures.

East Tennessee Conservatives PAC and Congresswoman Harshbarger's campaign share a campaign treasurer: campaign compliance consultant Thomas Datwyler of Hudson, Wisconsin.

"I am concerned there is collusion between the Harshbarger campaign (both) and the PAC," Yager wrote. "In addition to collusion between the campaigns, I believe there may also be an effort to skirt campaign finance limits."

Datwyler is listed on Federal Election Commission filings as treasurer for several U.S. Senate and Congressional campaigns and PACs, including U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia. Datwyler's LinkedIn profile shows his employment at 9Seven Consulting, a political consulting and FEC compliance firm. Datwyler made national headlines last year after former U.S. Rep. George Santos' campaign indicated Datwyler was its treasurer, even though Datwyler reportedly turned down the job.

East Tennessee Conservatives PAC is funded almost entirely by a $95,000 donation in 2023 from the American Policy Coalition, Inc., a 501(c)(4), according to state campaign finance disclosures. American Policy Coalition was established in Kentucky as BluegrassVotes.org, and changed its name in 2015. According to tax records, the organization "focuses on educating the public about conservative fiscal policies that foster job growth, a stronger economy and increased opportunity for all Americans."

Lundberg has represented District 4 in the Tennessee Senate since 2017, and in the legislature since 2007.

New law will allow local zoning incentives

A new law passed by the General Assembly last month will allow local governments to pass zoning incentives that could help address housing shortages across the state.

Local governments in Tennessee had previously been blocked from offering incentives to encourage developers to build housing at or below market rates.

Nashville leaders have historically clashed with the legislature over the issue. After Nashville passed an "inclusionary zoning" ordinance in 2016, Republican lawmakers blocked local governments from imposing housing price constraints on developers.

Under House Bill 8623, local governments can now offer voluntary incentives to help improve affordable housing availability in Tennessee, where more than 80% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, according to a recent policy document from ThinkTennessee.

Potential incentives municipalities can offer under the new law include things such as density bonuses, where developers are allowed to build more units in exchange for affordable housing units, and expedited permitting.

“Compared to other states, Tennessee localities have been extremely limited when it comes to promoting housing development that is affordable,” said Adriane Harris, senior adviser on housing policy at ThinkTennessee. “Voluntary incentives will give communities new tools to increase housing supply across a variety of price points and create balanced and thriving communities where everyone can find a place to call home.”

Landry to headline GOP fundraiser, chaired by CoreCivic CEO

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry will give the key note address at the Tennessee Republican Party's annual Statesmen's Dinner next month.

The state party announced Landry's appearance on Wednesday as it sells $300 tickets for the annual fundraiser, this year titled the "Last Best Hope." The event will be at the Music City Center in Nashville on June 15.

"The Tennessee Republican Party's Statesmen Dinner is the largest political event of the year in Tennessee and one of the largest in the Southeastern US," Tennessee GOP Chair Scott Golden told The Tennessean. "We are thrilled to welcome Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as our keynote to the 47th edition of the dinner. Gov. Landry kicked off the 2024 election cycle with his win last year changing the governor's office from blue to red."

The state party last year hosted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the keynote speaker. At the time, DeSantis was in full campaign mode as he took several swings at former President Donald Trump in the early stages of the Republican presidential primary. The 2024 dinner will likely feature fewer intraparty barbs. Last year, Trump endorsed Landry in the Louisiana gubernatorial race.

Chairing the Republican Party’s fundraiser event is CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger. A spokesperson for CoreCivic noted that Hininger is leading the event in his personal capacity.

"I am grateful to serve as Dinner Chairman of this year's Statemen's Dinner on June 15th," Hininger told The Tennessean in a statement. "My wife and I have been a long time supporters of the Tennessee Republican Party and we have been attending this dinner for well over 20 years. So for me to be asked to chair this dinner is a great honor, especially knowing the list of previous dinner chairs that I am following."

CoreCivic is one of the top 25 political spenders in Tennessee, having spent $3.6 million on lobbying and donations to Tennessee lawmakers since 2019, according to an analysis by the Tennessee Lookout.

Tennessee Democrats will hold their annual Three Star Dinner on July 27 at the Omni Nashville. The theme for the evening is “For our democracy, for our freedom.” State Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus did not respond to a request for comment from The Tennessean.

Blackburn, Ogles file bills to punish student protestors

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia, both proposed legislation to crack down on student protestors demonstrating in support of Gaza at universities across the country.

Blackburn introduced an amendment to a pending Federal Aviation Administration bill that would add students and "paid protestors" who "promote terrorism" or "engage in terrorist acts on behalf of Hamas" to be added to the Transportation Safety Administration's No Fly list.

“It is unacceptable for terrorist sympathizers to threaten the safety of Jewish students in America with little to no consequence,” Blackburn said in a statement. “When protestors chant ‘we are Hamas’ and carry around ‘Death to America’ posters, we should believe them. Any student, professor, or paid protestor in America who promotes terrorism or engages in terrorist acts on behalf of Hamas should immediately be placed on the TSA No Fly List.”

Meanwhile, Ogles introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at punishing demonstrators who commit crimes. One, dubbed the "Antisemitism Community Service Act," would require any person convicted of unlawful activity on university campuses in the United States since Oct. 7, 2023 to provide community service in Gaza for no less than six months. Another would revoke visas for demonstrators who riot or participate in unlawful protests.

Tennessee delegation supports U.S. House Speaker Johnson

In a failed effort to unseat U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, Tennessee's congressional Republicans rallied behind the speaker ― despite some votes against his speakership last year and two separate speaker bids members of the Tennessee delegation.

Tennessee Republicans did not join 43 Republican colleagues who voted to oust Johnson. Ultimately, Johnson survived the motion to vacate with support from the entire Democratic conference.

“When I voted to remove the previous speaker, I knew we would get a Republican to replace him," said U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville. "That is no longer the case. If we remove Speaker Johnson from his seat, we'll likely get a Democrat to replace him, or a more moderate Republican who is supported by Democrats. We can't take that chance. I'll keep pushing for Speaker Johnson to fight for responsible, conservative values in his position, but I couldn't vote to remove him knowing his replacement will likely be worse.”

Catch up on the week

Biden signs Blackburn’s bipartisan bill modernizing reporting of cyber crimes against children

New records detail Tennessee education chief's meetings, push for voucher bill

Bills affecting TN justice system passed in 2024: Prison time, bail rules, mental health

Lee ends expedited clemency process for harsh drug-free school zone sentences

Black woman fired by Tennessee Department of Education alleges racial discrimination

President Joe Biden presents former VP Al Gore with Presidential Medal of Freedom

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Sen. Ken Yager files campaign finance complaint alleging 'collusion'