Cracker Barrel Old Country Store INC PAC

Political Action Committee

Registered Jan 1990 · Treasurer: Charlie Austin · Lebanon, TN

Raised
$44,022
incl. $29,668 unitemized small gifts
Total Spent
$67,584
Spent outside Tennessee
$39,300
58% of spending
Operating & other
$20,784
31% of spending

Where the Money Goes

Of the $67,584 this committee reported spending, the largest share — $39,300 (58%) — went to activity outside Tennessee.

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: $20,784 ÷ Total spent: $67,584
Inputs behind Operating share of spending
Operating / overhead spending $20,784
Contributions to candidates $6,500

“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

No contributions to tracked candidates on record.

This committee’s own filings report $6,500 to candidates, while tracked candidates reported receiving $0. Of the $6,500 difference, $6,500 went to recipients not tracked here (itemized below).

Its filing also reports $6,500 in candidate contributions to recipients not tracked here — federal, local, and out-of-state races, and sitting legislators not on the 2026 ballot:

  • Haslam, Bill $2,500.00
  • Diane Black for Congress $2,000.00
  • Friends of Scott Desjarlais $1,000.00
  • Finney, Lowe $250.00
  • Fitzhugh, Craig $250.00
  • Maggart, Debra Young $250.00
  • McCormick, Gerald $250.00

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.

Contributions to Other PACs

Contributions to other political action committees
Committee Total
Chuck Fleischmann for Congress Committee $1,000.00

Given in Other States

This committee sent $39,300 to 30 candidates and committees outside Tennessee, across 17 states. 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
Portman for Senate Committee Ohio $2,500.00
Dan Coats for Indiana Indiana $2,500.00
Rand Paul for US Senate Kentucky $2,500.00
Boozman for Arkansas Arkansas $2,500.00
Friends of Roy Blunt Missouri $2,500.00
Marco Rubio for US Senate Florida $2,500.00
Richard Burr Committee North Carolina $2,500.00
Toomey for Senate Committee Pennsylvania $2,500.00
Georgians for Isakson Georgia $2,000.00
Jon KYL for US Senate Arizona $1,000.00

Operating & Other Spending

Operating spending by purpose
Purpose Total
2010 Primary Election $8,750.00
Administrative Expenses $4,934.29
Debt Retirement $2,000.00
Annual Fundraiser $1,600.00
Support $1,000.00
At Request Of Phil Roe Tn-1 $1,000.00
Fundraiser $1,000.00
01/04/2011 $500.00

Who Funds It

Donors funding this political action committee
Donor Location Employer Total Given
Robert Harig Hermitage, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $2,200.00
Forrest Shoaf Lebanon, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $1,100.00
Michael Woodhouse Westport, MA Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $1,100.00
Sandra Cochran Nashville, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $1,100.00
Michael Zylstra Arrington, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $880.00
Michael Chissler Murfreesboro, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $790.00
Patrick Sheehy Mt Juliet, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $742.68
Charlie Austin Overland Park, KS Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $650.00
Paul Seal Lebanon, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $650.00
P Doug Couvillion Hendersonville, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $620.50

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 2010 Historical $2,898.54 $2,896.06 Source ↗
Pre-General 2010 Historical $25,484.77 $2,898.54 Source ↗
Q3 2010 Historical $32,064.27 $25,484.77 Source ↗
Pre-Primary 2010 Historical $34,654.70 $32,064.27 Source ↗
Q2 2010 Historical $30,303.21 $34,654.70 Source ↗
Q1 2010 Historical $25,554.73 $30,303.21 Source ↗