Cracker Barrel Old Country Store INC PAC
Registered Jan 1990 · Treasurer: Charlie Austin · Lebanon, TN
Where the Money Goes
Of the $55,250 this committee reported spending, the largest share — $39,500 (71%) — 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 / overhead spending | $2,000 |
| Contributions to candidates | $12,250 |
- Spent outside Tennessee $39,500 71%
- To TN candidates $12,250 22%
- Operating & other $2,000 3.6%
- To other PACs $1,500 2.7%
“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
| Candidate | Office | Party | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrell Haile † | Tennessee Senate, District 18 | Rep. | $1,000.00 |
| John Stevens † | Tennessee Senate, District 24 | Rep. | $250.00 |
| Mark Pody † | Tennessee Senate, District 17 | Rep. | $250.00 |
† Reported in this PAC’s own disbursement filing; the recipient’s receipt filing hasn’t itemized it yet.
This committee’s own filings report $12,250 to candidates, while tracked candidates reported receiving $1,500. Of the $10,750 difference, $10,750 went to recipients not tracked here (itemized below).
Its filing also reports $10,750 in candidate contributions to recipients not tracked here — federal, local, and out-of-state races, and sitting legislators not on the 2026 ballot:
- Bob Corker for Senate 2012 $2,500.00
- Haslam, Bill $2,500.00
- Steve Fincher for Congress $1,000.00
- Duncan for Congress $1,000.00
- Cooper for Congress $1,000.00
- Kelsey, Brian $500.00
- Curtiss, Charles $250.00
- Fitzhugh, Craig $250.00
- Gresham, Dolores $250.00
- McManus, Stephen $250.00
- …and 5 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.
Contributions to Other PACs
| Committee | Total |
|---|---|
| Chuck Fleischmann for Congress Committee | $1,000.00 |
| Senate Democratic Caucus | $250.00 |
| Tennessee Tomorrow PAC | $250.00 |
Given in Other States
This committee sent $39,500 to 23 candidates and committees outside Tennessee, across 18 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.
| Recipient | State | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Romney for President, Inc. | Massachusetts | $5,000.00 |
| Jeff Flake for US Senate Inc. | Arizona | $3,500.00 |
| Wilson for Senate | New Mexico | $3,500.00 |
| Citizens for Josh Mandel | Ohio | $2,500.00 |
| George Allen for US Senate | Virginia | $2,500.00 |
| Friends of John Barrow | Georgia | $2,000.00 |
| Wicker for Senate | Mississippi | $2,000.00 |
| Friends of Connie Mack | Florida | $2,000.00 |
| Hoosiers for Richard Mourdock, Inc. | Indiana | $2,000.00 |
| Save Our States Jobs Coalition | Missouri | $2,000.00 |
Operating & Other Spending
| Purpose | Total |
|---|---|
| Annual Fundraiser | $1,000.00 |
| Pac To Pac Tsfr | $1,000.00 |
| Payee | Purpose | Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raampac | Annual Fundraiser | 05/10/2012 | $1,000.00 |
| Raampac | Pac To Pac Tsfr | 01/07/2013 | $1,000.00 |
Who Funds It
| Donor | Location | Employer | Total Given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Hyatt | Franklin, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $1,100.00 |
| Sandra Cochran | Nashville, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $1,100.00 |
| Patrick Sheehy | Mt Juliet, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $1,090.73 |
| Michael Chissler | Murfreesboro, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $1,087.82 |
| Rick Palmateer | Topeka, KS | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $1,060.00 |
| Charlie Austin | Overland Park, KS | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $944.00 |
| Michael Zylstra | Arrington, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $880.00 |
| Michael Woodhouse | Westport, MA | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | $800.00 |
| Robert Chanady | Newnan, GA | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $764.00 |
| Alan Emery | Franklin, TN | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | $750.00 |
Filing History
Totals as filed with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance; see About for how this data is processed.
| Filing | Cash Beginning | Cash Ending | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2012 Amended Historical | $8,695.20 | $13,261.17 | Source ↗ |
| Pre-General 2012 Historical | $19,412.90 | $8,695.20 | Source ↗ |
| Q3 2012 Amended Historical | $30,844.90 | $19,412.90 | Source ↗ |
| Pre-Primary 2012 Historical | $29,038.97 | $30,844.90 | Source ↗ |
| Q2 2012 Historical | $24,285.05 | $29,038.97 | Source ↗ |
| Q1 2012 Historical | $19,858.65 | $24,285.05 | Source ↗ |