BNSF Railway Company RAILPAC

Political Action Committee

Registered Jan 1990 · Treasurer: Patricia Murphy · Ft Worth, TX

Raised
$1,267,498
incl. $168,517 unitemized small gifts
excl. $146 in bookkeeping entries — carried-forward balances, adjustments, refunds — not money raised
Total Spent
$29,145
To TN candidates
$23,800
82% of spending
Spent outside Tennessee
$5,000
17% of spending
Candidate Giving by Party $1,800 to 4 candidates
$1,000 to 1 Republican $800 to 3 Democrats

Where the Money Goes

Of the $29,145 this committee reported spending, the largest share — $23,800 (82%) — went to Tennessee candidates.

Why this number?

Operating share of spending compares operating spending with total spent.

Show formula

Operating / overhead spending divided by everything this committee spent (each expenditure lands in exactly one bucket).

Operating spending: $345 ÷ Total spent: $29,145
Inputs behind Operating share of spending
Operating / overhead spending $345
Contributions to candidates $23,800

“Spent outside Tennessee” is money this committee sent out of state — a multi-state committee’s lump non-Tennessee line plus any individually-filed out-of-state contributions (itemized below). Separate from out-of-state donors.

Contributions to Candidates

Contributions to tracked candidates
Candidate Office Party Total
Marsha Blackburn † Governor Rep. $1,000.00
Larry J. Miller † Tennessee House, District 88 Dem. $400.00
Joe Towns Jr. † Tennessee House, District 84 Dem. $200.00
Johnny Shaw † Tennessee House, District 80 Dem. $200.00

† Reported in this PAC’s own disbursement filing; the recipient’s receipt filing hasn’t itemized it yet.

This committee’s own filings report $23,800 to candidates, while tracked candidates reported receiving $1,800. Of the $22,000 difference, $22,000 went to recipients not tracked here (itemized below).

Its filing also reports $22,000 in candidate contributions to recipients not tracked here — federal, local, and out-of-state races, and sitting legislators not on the 2026 ballot:

  • Cohen, Steve $4,500.00
  • Duncan, John $2,000.00
  • Davis, Lincoln $1,000.00
  • Naifeh, Jimmy $500.00
  • Ramsey, Ron $500.00
  • Coleman, Kent $400.00
  • Curtiss, Charles $400.00
  • Deberry, Lois $400.00
  • Fitzhugh, Craig $400.00
  • Harmon, Bill $400.00
  • …and 44 more recipients

Tennessee caps what a PAC may give one candidate per election — $15,400 for statewide and House races, $30,800 for Senate races (2025–26 limits; a primary and a general count as separate elections). Registry of Election Finance limits.

Given in Other States

This committee sent $5,000 to 1 candidate and committee outside Tennessee, across 1 state. These are counted as spending outside Tennessee, not as Tennessee candidate support — Who Funds Tennessee doesn’t track out-of-state races, so they don’t link to a page here.

Contributions to candidates and committees outside Tennessee
Recipient State Total
Alexander, Lamar Washington, D.C. $5,000.00

Operating & Other Spending

Operating spending by purpose
Purpose Total
Admin Expense-Tn $345.00

Who Funds It

Donors funding this political action committee
Donor Location Employer Total Given
Kevin Kaufman Southlake, TX BNSF $5,208.33
Matthew Rose Westlake, TX BNSF $5,208.25
Dennis Kearns Austin, TX BNSF $5,000.03
D J Mitchell Hurst, TX BNSF $5,000.00
David Freeman Roanoke, TX BNSF $5,000.00
Linda Hurt Southlake, TX BNSF Corp $5,000.00
Mark Stehly Colleyville, TX BNSF $5,000.00
Richard Miller Ft Worth, TX BNSF $5,000.00
Robert Lease Roanke, TX BNSF $5,000.00
Amy Hawkins Arlington, VA BNSF $4,999.92

Showing the top 500 of 819 funders by total given. Download the full list (CSV).

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 2008 Historical $125,375.41 $229,600.23 Source ↗
Pre-General 2008 Historical $99,897.07 $125,375.41 Source ↗
Q3 2008 Amended Historical $238,659.90 $99,897.07 Source ↗
Pre-Primary 2008 Historical $199,418.22 $238,659.90 Source ↗
Q2 2008 Late Historical $364,160.89 $199,418.22 Source ↗
Q1 2008 Late Historical $376,290.31 $364,160.89 Source ↗