Bill Lee — 2018 Governor campaign

Governor Republican

2018 Governor · totals since Jan 16, 2017

Final This campaign’s election cycle is closed — no further reports for it are due, so these totals are settled rather than mid-race. They cover every filing we hold for the campaign; if the source archive later adds one, we load it. Full definition → · 8 filings · Mid-Year 2017–Q4 2018

Ended With What was left in the campaign’s account when its reporting closed — the ending balance on its final report for this race. It is a leftover, not a war chest: money still to be spent, refunded, given away, or carried into the next campaign. Full definition →
$1,775,417
as of the Q4 report
Receipts The sum of Total Receipts on the selected published reports. Open the receipt to check each report and any exclusions. Full definition →
$15,880,196
includes $123,111 in small gifts the filer reported as a lump sum
$57,600 refunded
Loan entries in filing detail: $5,583,000. The report totals above govern this headline.
Itemized in-kind Goods or services donated to the campaign instead of cash — say, free printing or donated consulting — reported at fair-market value. Counted toward the same $200 disclosure threshold as cash gifts. This figure adds the in-kind contributions itemized on the selected reports. The Registry reports in-kind apart from receipts, so it is not part of the receipts figure. Full definition →
$101,394
goods or services itemized on these reports
Total Spent
$14,077,835
less $6,632 in refunds & credits → $14,071,203 net disbursements
Donors
4,074
total donors; qualifying names are listed below

Cash on hand is the amount reported on the filing listed below.

Show formula

The ending cash balance the campaign reported on its most recent filing (as filed, not computed).

Reported on this filing:
  • Q4 2018 Amendment $1,775,417 filing-stated

Reported receipts adds together the amounts listed below.

Show formula

Sum of Total Receipts reported on the selected source reports.

Inputs behind Reported receipts
Q4 2018 reported receipts $1,044,255
Pre-General 2018 reported receipts $1,585,810
Q3 2018 reported receipts $4,747,498
Pre-Primary 2018 reported receipts $183,050
Q2 2018 reported receipts $438,824
Q1 2018 reported receipts $3,317,156
Year-End 2017 reported receipts $1,812,743
Mid-Year 2017 reported receipts $2,750,861
Reported receipts $15,880,196
From each filing:
Show 4 more filings

Total spent adds together the amounts listed below.

Show formula

Itemized expenditure rows plus the stated spending a filer reported as a lump sum without itemizing it.

Inputs behind Total spent
Itemized expenditures $14,051,226
Stated spending not itemized (credited) $26,609
Total spent $14,077,835
From each filing:
  • Q4 2018 Amendment $1,459,905 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $1,457,848 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $2,058 filing-stated
  • Pre-General 2018 Initial $2,296,119 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $2,295,282 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $837 filing-stated
  • Q3 2018 Amendment $3,272,226 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $3,267,583 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $4,643 filing-stated
  • Pre-Primary 2018 Amendment $2,332,259 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $2,325,962 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $6,297 filing-stated
Show 4 more filings
  • Q2 2018 Amendment $3,161,295 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $3,155,353 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $5,942 filing-stated
  • Q1 2018 Amendment $736,844 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $734,281 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $2,563 filing-stated
  • Year-End 2017 Supplemental $595,999 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $592,635 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $3,363 filing-stated
  • Mid-Year 2017 Supplemental $223,187 mixed
    • Itemized expenditures $222,282 derived
    • Stated spending not itemized (credited) $906 filing-stated
Receipts
$15,880,196
Spent
$14,077,835

Who funds this campaign The sources split breaks down the receipts the headline adds up, by the lines of each report behind it; its parts add up to the headline. Open its “Why this number?” for each report’s lines. Gift-size and location figures cover itemized contributions only. Aggregates count everyone who gave, including donors below the $200 disclosure floor — a share across all donors identifies no one. Full definition →

Largest part: individuals, itemized, 52% of receipts on these reports.

Individuals, itemized $8.2M · 52%Organizations and PACs, itemized $2.0M · 13%Loans, interest and other receipts, net of refunds $5.5M · 35%

Share of reported receipts: Individuals, itemized compares individuals, itemized with reported receipts.

Show formula

Each selected report's reported receipts split by the report's own lines; the parts of every report add up to its total, and the totals to the headline.

Individuals, itemized: $8,209,829 ÷ Reported receipts: $15,880,196
Inputs behind Share of reported receipts: Individuals, itemized
Individuals, itemized $8,209,829
Organizations and PACs, itemized $2,021,455
Unitemized contributions $123,111
Loans, interest and other receipts, net of refunds $5,525,801
From each filing:
Show 4 more filings

Gift size Each individual donor’s total giving to this campaign this cycle. Organizations, PACs, and the candidate’s own money are excluded (this is about people); a donor who gave under several name spellings is counted once. A donor named on the page can still sit in a small bucket — these are cycle totals, not “unnamed donors.” Full definition →

$2,238average gift
$1,000median gift
3,669individual donors
Share of donors Share of dollars
Under $50
0.1%
0.1%
$50–200
3%
0.2%
$200–1K
32%
5%
$1K–5K
50%
45%
$5K+
15%
50%

Average gift per individual donor compares total from individual donors with individual donors.

Show formula

Every individual donor's total contributions to this campaign, divided by the number of individual donors. Organizations and PACs are excluded (this measures people); a donor who gave under several name spellings is counted once. The median and the gift-size buckets are computed over the same individual-donor totals. Based on itemized contributions only (loans and money a filer reported as an unitemized lump sum are not included).

Total from individual donors: $8,209,829 ÷ Individual donors: 3669
Inputs behind Average gift per individual donor
Total from individual donors $8,209,829
Median gift $1,000
Individual donors 3669

Where the money comes from Shares of itemized dollars, by the contributor’s state and city as filed. A city is named only when at least 5 donors gave from it or it holds at least 5% of the located dollars; everyone else is grouped into “elsewhere.” Shown only when at least 80% of dollars carry a usable state. Full definition →

93% of located dollars came from within Tennessee (7% from out of state).

Tennessee $9,515,628 Out of state $715,655
  • Nashville $2.9M29%
  • Franklin $945K9%
  • Brentwood $943K9%
  • Memphis $680K7%
  • Knoxville $583K6%
  • Elsewhere in Tennessee $3.4M
  • Other out-of-state $716K

Out-of-state share of located dollars compares itemized money from outside tennessee with itemized money with a known state.

Show formula

Itemized contribution dollars from outside Tennessee, divided by all itemized dollars whose contributor state is known. A city is named only when at least 5 donors gave from it OR it holds at least 5% of the located dollars; everyone else is grouped into elsewhere-in-Tennessee and other-out-of-state. Shown only above 99% state coverage. Based on itemized contributions only (loans and money a filer reported as an unitemized lump sum are not included).

Itemized money from outside Tennessee: $715,655 ÷ Itemized money with a known state: $10,231,283
Inputs behind Out-of-state share of located dollars
From outside Tennessee $715,655

Contributions & Spending Over Time

Itemized monetary contributions and expenditures by month — Apr 2017 – Jan 2019. Peak $2,806,122 in Sep 2018. Spending peaked at $3,447,677 in Jul 2018.

Cash contributions Spent

Contributions

The donor total above includes everyone who gave. This table names 3,987 donors: organizations, and people whose cumulative giving reached $200. 110 people gave less than $200 in cash; their gifts total $13,394 and their names are withheld.

3,987 named donors 5,557 donations

Campaign contributions consolidated by donor, ranked by net amount
Donor Donations Net
Tennessee Legislative Campaign Committee ↺ paid $5,000.00 1 $360,577.53
Bill Lee Self In-Kind 1 $30,000.00
CoreCivic PAC 2 $23,600.00
Tennessee Health Care Assn PAC 2 $23,600.00
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee PAC (WSWT) 2 $23,600.00
Baker Donelson TN PAC 2 $23,600.00
Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN PAC 3 $23,600.00
Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) PAC 2 $23,600.00
Phrma Tennessee PAC 2 $23,600.00
Gresham Smith PAC ↺ $1,000.00 refunded 4 $23,600.00 net
$24,600.00 gross

Expenditures

377 vendors 2,024 payments

Campaign payments consolidated by vendor, ranked by total
Vendor Payments Total Share
Smart Media Group 25 $7,873,713.45 56%
Advictory LLC 18 $955,073.08 7%
Strategic Perception Inc. 23 $685,750.25 5%
Victory Phones 17 $626,365.82 4%
Kaegi Resources 4 $564,564.15 4%
Majority Strategies 15 $458,863.26 3%
Leverage Public Strategies LLC 27 $336,022.15 2%
Devaney, Christopher 33 $148,762.50 1%
Walker Public Affairs 18 $143,016.71 1%
North Star Opinion Research 3 $142,621.63 1%

Loans

$5,583,000.00 in loan balances shown. The filings date all of it to this campaign. Later reports can repeat an outstanding loan, so each reconstructed lender balance is counted once below.

Loan principal shown adds together the amounts listed below.

Show formula

Loan schedules can repeat an outstanding debt on later reports. This is the reconstructed principal for each lender, counted once, split between candidate or family loans and all other lenders. Repayments and outstanding balances are shown separately in the ledger.

Inputs behind Loan principal shown
Candidate and family loans $5,583,000
Loan principal shown $5,583,000
Itemized campaign loans
Lender Type Received Balance shown Repaid Outstanding
Self (Bill Lee) Candidate loan Jun 30, 2017 $5,583,000.00 $0.00 $5,583,000.00

Where the money went Each expenditure carries a short description of what it was for, written by the campaign. We sort those descriptions into a fixed set of categories; one expenditure goes in one category, so the amounts add up to Bill Lee’s itemized spending. Descriptions that don’t clearly fit a category are counted under Other rather than guessed at.

  • Advertising & media $9,579,391 68%
  • Consulting & professional services $2,177,169 15%
  • Printing & mail $600,162 4%
  • Staff & payroll $538,967 4%
  • Other $377,434 3%
  • Field & voter contact $219,793 2%
  • Office & operations $215,043 2%
  • Fundraising & events $183,422 1%
  • Travel $102,776 0.8%
  • Contributions & donations $57,069 0.5%

Loans

Campaign loans
Lender Amount Date Received Outstanding Repaid

Each loan shows its balance as of the candidate's most recent filing; repayments since then appear when the next report is filed.

Filing History

Totals as filed with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance; see About for how this data is processed.

Campaign filing history
Filing Cash Beginning Cash Ending Source
Q4 2018 Amended $2,221,023.28 $1,775,417.08 Source: Q4 2018 filing Report 97940
Pre-General 2018 $2,928,884.48 $2,221,023.28 Source: Pre-General 2018 filing Report 80180
Q3 2018 Amended $1,453,612.12 $2,928,884.48 Source: Q3 2018 filing Report 118355
Pre-Primary 2018 Amended $3,602,821.64 $1,453,612.12 Source: Pre-Primary 2018 filing Report 118359
Q2 2018 Amended $6,324,829.40 $3,602,821.64 Source: Q2 2018 filing Report 78521
Q1 2018 Amended $3,744,429.66 $6,324,829.40 Source: Q1 2018 filing Report 78520
Year-End 2017 $2,527,673.65 $3,744,429.66 Source: Year-End 2017 filing Report 72153
Mid-Year 2017 $0.00 $2,527,673.65 Source: Mid-Year 2017 filing Report 70957