Bill Lee — 2026 Governor campaign

Governor Republican Incumbent

2026 Governor

Latest filing: Year-End 2024 · Jan 27, 2025 · source: TN Registry of Election Finance

4 filings · Mid-Year 2023–Year-End 2024

Cash on Hand The campaign’s ending cash balance from its most recent filing. Cash shown as “carried over” was held before this election cycle began — usually from a prior campaign for the same office. Full definition →
$13
$82,621 carried over
Why this number?
Raised (cash) Cash and cash-like receipts the campaign took in: contributions, the candidate’s own money, loans, and transfers from affiliated committees. Donated goods and services are not cash; they appear separately as In-Kind Received. Bookkeeping entries such as a carried balance, accounting adjustment, or refund also stay only in the filing’s own totals. Full definition →
$4,591,555
Why this number?
Total Spent
$103,773
Why this number?
Donors
13
total donors; qualifying names are listed below
Self-Funded
99.8%
$4,584,020 of $4,591,555 raised · campaign loans
Out-of-State
0.1%
$2,575 from outside TN
Why this number?

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

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

Reported on this filing:

Raised (cash) adds together the amounts listed below.

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Sum of every cash receipt bucket: itemized contributions from others + the candidate's own contributions + loans + filer-stated unitemized + (federal) transfers and other receipts.

Inputs behind Raised (cash)
Itemized contributions from others $7,535
Loans received $4,584,020
Raised (cash) $4,591,555
From each filing: Not attributable to a single filing:
Loans $4,583,000 derived

Borrowing that no filing dates to its own reporting period — a balance carried forward from an earlier period, or a loan reported without a date. The rest is shown against the filing that reported borrowing it.

Total spent adds together the amounts listed below.

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

Inputs behind Total spent
Itemized expenditures $103,773
Total spent $103,773
From each filing:

Out-of-state share compares itemized money from outside tennessee with raised incl. in-kind.

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Itemized contributions from a state other than Tennessee, divided by everything the campaign raised (shown only when the state of most itemized money is known — above 99% coverage).

Itemized money from outside Tennessee: $2,575 ÷ Raised incl. in-kind: $4,591,555
Inputs behind Out-of-state share
From outside Tennessee $2,575
Raised incl. in-kind
$4,591,555
Spent
$103,773

Who funds this campaign The sources split breaks down everything the campaign raised: the candidate’s own money (including self-loans), individuals (including unitemized small gifts), organizations and PACs, and “other” (in-kind contributions, loans other than the candidate’s, and the like) — open its “Why this number?” for the full breakdown. 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 →

The candidate’s own money made up 99.8% of the campaign’s funds — individuals gave 0.1%, organizations and PACs 0.2%.

Candidate’s own money $4.6M · 99.8% Individuals $1K · 0.1% Organizations & PACs $6K · 0.2%
Why this number?

Share from the candidate compares from the candidate's own money with everything the campaign raised.

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Everything the campaign raised, split into the candidate's own money (own contributions plus self- and family loans), individuals, organizations and PACs, and everything else — loans other than the candidate's, in-kind contributions, and (for federal filers) committee transfers and other receipts. Unitemized small donations count as individual money. The parts add up to the total raised. The headline share is the candidate divided by the total.

From the candidate's own money: $4,584,020 ÷ Everything the campaign raised: $4,591,555
Inputs behind Share from the candidate
Candidate's own money (incl. self-loans) $4,584,020
From individuals $1,121
From organizations and PACs $6,414

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 →

66% of located dollars came from within Tennessee (34% from out of state).

Tennessee $4,960 Out of state $2,575
  • Springdale, AR $3K33%
  • Tiptonville $2K25%
  • Brentwood $2K20%
  • Germantown $1K13%
  • Nashville $5087%
  • Elsewhere in Tennessee $26
  • Other out-of-state $75
Why this number?

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

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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: $2,575 ÷ Itemized money with a known state: $7,535
Inputs behind Out-of-state share of located dollars
From outside Tennessee $2,575

Contributions & Spending Over Time

Itemized monetary contributions and expenditures by month — Jan 2023 – Jan 2025. Peak $3,914 in Jun 2024. Spending peaked at $36,627 in Oct 2023.

Cash contributions Spent

Contributions

The donor total above includes everyone who gave. This table names donors whose cumulative giving reached $200. Smaller donors contributed $121 total; their names are not disclosed here.

Named donor list 8 donations

Campaign contributions consolidated by donor, ranked by net amount
Donor Donations Net
Tyson Foods, Inc. PAC 1 $2,500.00
Check 2018 Voided Uncleared 1 $1,906.08
Uncleared Check 2018 Voided 1 $1,500.00
Jeffrey Presley 1 $1,000.00
Uncleared Contribution 2018 Voided 1 $250.00
Uncleared Check 2018 Voided 1 $150.00
Uncleared Check 2018 Voided 1 $100.00
Uncleared Check 2018 Voided 1 $8.20

Expenditures

25 vendors 134 payments

Campaign payments consolidated by vendor, ranked by total
Vendor Payments Total Share
Public Opinion Strategies 1 $36,000.00 35%
Tennessee Legislative Campaign Committee 3 $19,200.00 19%
Rj Young 1 $7,895.26 8%
Metro Self Storage 20 $7,264.19 7%
Sperry's Restaurant 1 $4,686.13 5%
Kimpton Journeyman Hotel 2 $4,356.40 4%
Internal Revenue Service 4 $3,966.81 4%
Intuit 17 $3,666.49 4%
Political Financial Management 3 $3,000.00 3%
Williamson County Republican Party 1 $3,000.00 3%

Loans

$4,584,020.00 in loan principal 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.

Why this number?

Loan principal shown adds together the amounts listed below.

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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 $4,584,020
Loan principal shown $4,584,020
Itemized campaign loans
Lender Type Received Principal Repaid Outstanding
Self (Bill Lee) Candidate loan Jan 13, 2025 $4,584,020.00 $0.00 $4,584,020.00

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.

  • Consulting & professional services $39,000 38%
  • Contributions & donations $22,200 21%
  • Office & operations $8,322 8%
  • Printing & mail $7,895 8%
  • Travel $7,600 7%
  • Other $7,435 7%
  • Fundraising & events $5,503 5%
  • Staff & payroll $4,058 4%
  • Advertising & media $1,760 2%

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
Year-End 2024 $13,326.78 $12.85 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2024 $10,085.68 $13,326.78 Source ↗
Year-End 2023 $62,655.84 $10,085.68 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2023 Amended $82,621.34 $62,655.84 Source ↗