Cracker Barrel Old Country Store INC PAC

Political Action Committee

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

Year by year

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store INC PAC — money raised, spent and given to candidates in each report year, and the all-time totals those years add up to.
Report year Raised Spent To candidates
2015 $37,215.10 $12,612.00 $500.00
2014 $42,830.31 $49,700.00 $0.00
2013 $49,968.40 $31,512.47 $0.00
2012 $46,708.52 $55,250.00 $1,500.00
2011 $46,075.87 $28,669.85 $1,250.00
2010 $44,021.59 $67,584.29 $0.00
2009 $42,518.90 $24,093.75 $0.00
2008 $42,642.05 $67,170.57 $0.00
2007 $35,805.49 $32,331.66 $500.00
2006 $36,713.78 $47,150.00 $0.00
2005 $40,147.22 $35,529.00 $0.00
2004 $41,240.46 $76,400.00 $0.00
All years $505,887.69 $528,003.59 $3,750.00
Raised
$505,888
incl. $232,164 unitemized small gifts
excl. $3,250 in bookkeeping entries — carried-forward balances, adjustments, refunds — not money raised
Total Spent
$528,004
Spent outside Tennessee
$271,100
51% of spending
Operating & other
$161,942
31% of spending
Candidate Giving by Party $3,750 to 6 candidates
$3,750 to 6 Republicans

Where the Money Goes

Of the $528,004 this committee reported spending, the largest share — $271,100 (51%) — 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: $161,942 ÷ Total spent: $528,004
Inputs behind Operating share of spending
Operating / overhead spending $161,942
Contributions to candidates $67,500

“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

Contributions to tracked candidates
Candidate Office Party Total
Ferrell Haile † Tennessee Senate, District 18 Rep. $1,000.00
Mark Pody † Tennessee Senate, District 17 Rep. $1,000.00
Ken Yager † Tennessee Senate, District 12 Rep. $750.00
Jack Johnson † Tennessee Senate, District 27 Rep. $500.00
John Stevens † Tennessee Senate, District 24 Rep. $250.00
Steve Southerland † Tennessee Senate, District 09 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 $67,500 to candidates, while tracked candidates reported receiving $3,750. Of the $63,750 difference, $63,750 went to recipients not tracked here (itemized below).

Its filing also reports $63,750 in candidate contributions to recipients not tracked here — federal, local, and out-of-state races, and sitting legislators not on the 2026 ballot:

  • Diane Black for Congress $10,500.00
  • Haslam, Bill $8,500.00
  • Marsha Blackburn for Congress Inc. $6,000.00
  • Bob Corker for Senate $5,000.00
  • Beavers, Mae $3,250.00
  • Duncan for Congress $3,000.00
  • Bob Corker for Senate 2012 $2,500.00
  • Cooper for Congress $2,000.00
  • Friends of Scott Desjarlais $2,000.00
  • Steve Fincher for Congress $2,000.00
  • …and 32 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

Contributions to other political action committees
Committee Total
Volpac $10,000.00
Tenn Republican Party $6,300.00
Chuck Fleischmann for Congress Committee $4,000.00
Committee To Elect John Worley for State Rep $1,000.00
Cooper for Congress Committee $1,000.00
RAAMPAC $1,000.00
Republicans Achieving A Majority PAC (Raampac) $1,000.00
Rock City PAC $1,000.00
Tennessee Retail Association PAC $612.00
Tennessee Republican Caucus $550.00

Given in Other States

This committee sent $271,100 to 134 candidates and committees outside Tennessee, across 39 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
Richard Burr Committee North Carolina $9,500.00
David Vitter for US Senate Louisiana $7,000.00
John Thune for US Senate South Dakota $6,000.00
Talent for Senate Committee Missouri $6,000.00
Alexander for Senate 2014 Inc. Virginia $5,000.00
Cantor for Congress Virginia $5,000.00
Coburn for Senate Oklahoma $5,000.00
Demint for Senate Committee Inc. South Carolina $5,000.00
Martinez for Senate Florida $5,000.00
McConnell Senate Committee 08 Georgia $5,000.00

Operating & Other Spending

Operating spending by purpose
Purpose Total
Administrative Expenses $27,829.81
2010 Primary Election $22,000.00
Leadership Pac $19,750.00
2014 General - Fl $8,000.00
Pac To Pac Tsfr $6,907.38
Annual Leadership Dinner $6,000.00
Annual Fundraiser $5,400.00
Event $5,000.00
2006 Primary Election Debt Retirement $4,500.00
Leader Forum For Calendar 2008 $3,000.00

Who Funds It

Donors funding this political action committee
Donor Location Employer Total Given
Robert Harig Hermitage, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $16,300.00
Michael Zylstra Arrington, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $10,380.00
Patrick Sheehy Mt Juliet, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $9,940.34
Forrest Shoaf Lebanon, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store $9,500.00
Sandra Cochran Nashville, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $8,350.00
Michael Chissler Murfreesboro, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $8,105.13
Charlie Austin Overland Park, KS Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $7,500.00
P Doug Couvillion Hendersonville, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $7,328.93
Douglas Barber Longboat Key, FL Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $5,800.00
Lawrence Hyatt Franklin, TN Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. $5,750.00

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 2015 Historical $52,417.52 $0.00 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2015 Historical $34,542.05 $52,417.52 Source ↗
Q4 2014 Historical $37,236.62 $34,542.05 Source ↗
Pre-General 2014 Historical $44,659.95 $37,236.62 Source ↗
Q3 2014 Historical $41,693.96 $44,659.95 Source ↗
Pre-Primary 2014 Historical $40,134.53 $41,693.96 Source ↗
Q2 2014 Historical $41,154.11 $40,134.53 Source ↗
Q1 2014 Historical $36,522.16 $41,154.11 Source ↗
Year-End 2013 Historical $32,041.51 $36,522.16 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2013 Historical $13,261.17 $32,041.51 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 ↗
Year-End 2011 Historical $15,183.11 $19,858.65 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2011 Historical $2,896.06 $15,183.11 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 ↗
Year-End 2009 Historical $18,095.46 $25,554.73 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2009 Historical $7,046.85 $18,095.46 Source ↗
Q4 2008 Historical $29,713.07 $7,046.85 Source ↗
Pre-General 2008 Historical $27,980.07 $29,713.07 Source ↗
Q3 2008 Historical $28,266.01 $27,980.07 Source ↗
Pre-Primary 2008 Historical $32,847.31 $28,266.01 Source ↗
Q2 2008 Historical $36,211.82 $32,847.31 Source ↗
Q1 2008 Amended Historical $28,465.54 $36,211.82 Source ↗
Year-End 2007 Amended Historical $20,070.73 $28,465.54 Source ↗
Mid-Year 2007 Amended Historical $19,593.18 $20,070.73 Source ↗
Q4 2006 Historical $10,940.93 $19,593.18 Source ↗
Pre-General 2006 Amended Historical $15,511.80 $10,940.93 Source ↗
Q3 2006 Historical $26,304.66 $15,511.80 Source ↗
Pre-Primary 2006 Amended Historical $28,220.54 $26,304.66 Source ↗
Q2 2006 Historical $29,445.69 $28,220.54 Source ↗
Q1 2006 Historical $29,540.71 $29,445.69 Source ↗
Q4 2005 Historical $24,148.58 $29,540.71 Source ↗
Q3 2005 Historical $17,590.34 $24,148.58 Source ↗
Q2 2005 Amended Historical $30,106.79 $17,590.34 Source ↗
Q1 2005 Historical $24,451.44 $30,106.79 Source ↗
Q4 2004 Amended Historical $50,226.72 $24,451.44 Source ↗
Q3 2004 Historical $55,593.82 $50,226.72 Source ↗
Q2 2004 Historical $60,922.17 $55,593.82 Source ↗
Q1 2004 Historical $59,523.77 $60,922.17 Source ↗