Follow the Money. Watch the Endorsements. The Divide Is Real.

🔑 Key Highlights

• Repeat Donor Network Signals Alignment
  The same high-profile donors and political figures consistently back the same group of candidates, reinforcing a unified establishment effort.
• Grassroots Candidates Stand Outside the Machine
  Candidates like Lisa Hayes, Marie Fellhauer, Marlin Jackson, Justin Bumpus, Chris Richards, and Kahn Garrett received no funding from Jack Johnson's JACK PAC or establishment insiders.
• Self-Funded Campaigns Create a Third Lane
  Candidates like Greg Sanford, with a ~$50,000 personal loan, operate independently of both grassroots support and establishment funding.
• Endorsements Will Mirror the Money
  Upcoming endorsements are expected to follow the same patterns seen in finance reports, confirming alignment across candidates.

The First Quarter 2026 campaign finance disclosures for the Williamson County Commission primary are now public. Early voting started April 15 and runs through April 30, with Election Day on May 5. The reports reveal a clear, coordinated pattern: State Senator Jack Johnson’s JACK PAC, along with other elected officials, Franklin BOMA members, and political committees, form a tightly connected machine directing support toward a specific slate of Republican candidates across multiple districts.This is not random giving. It is targeted political investment from the same insiders who know one another, serve together, and move in the same circles.

JACK PAC and Establishment Political Support — The Machine

JACK PAC (State Senator Jack Johnson’s PAC) has contributed directly to the following Republican candidates:

• Andrew Mitchell (District 1) 
• Ricky Jones (District 1) 
• Diane Giddens (District 2) 
• Rob Verell (District 5) 
• Cheryl Brown (District 10) 
• Eric McElroy (District 11) 
• Greg Sanford (District 5)

Some of these candidates also received support from other establishment notables who are all part of the same machine: the Mark Elrod Committee, Re-Elect Rogers C. Anderson (Mayor Rogers Anderson’s committee), Re-Elect Brandy Blanton (Franklin BOMA member), Old South Construction, Franklin Mayor Ken Moore, Franklin BOMA members Beverly Burger, Patrick Baggett, Greg Caesar, Jason Potts, and Matt Brown, State Representative Jake McCalmon, and local political insiders, Reba McCalmon, Jeff Moseley, Kurt Winstead, Josh Brown (President of the TN Chamber of Commerce and former VP of Government Relations for Pfizer), and related development interests. The presence of these high-profile, interconnected establishment donors is distinctive and creates a coordinated slate dynamic among Republican candidates.

District Highlights — Establishment-Backed Candidates (The Machine Slate)

• District 1: Both Andrew Mitchell and Ricky Jones received JACK PAC money plus support from the same establishment donor cluster. 
• District 2: Diane Giddens received the strongest establishment package: JACK PAC, Old South Construction, the Mark Elrod Committee, Rogers Anderson’s committee, and Re-Elect Brandy Blanton (Franklin BOMA). Incumbent Judy Herbert, who has held her seat since 2010, is heavily supplementing with personal funds. Her long tenure accounts for a less aggressive campaign, as she possibly anticipates that her longtime service and name recognition will enable her to easily recapture her seat. 
• District 5: Rob Verell and Greg Sanford both received JACK PAC money; Verell additionally from the Mark Elrod Committee, Beverly Burger, Patrick Baggett, Jake McCalmon, and Josh Brown, while Sanford supplemented with a $50,000 personal loan. 
• District 10: Cheryl Brown received JACK PAC plus support from Jeff Moseley, Julie Beaman, Kurt Winstead, Reba McCalmon, Mayor Ken Moore, and Re-Elect Rogers Anderson. 
• District 11: Eric McElroy received JACK PAC money plus direct support from Mayor Ken Moore. 
• District 12: Brian Clifford received Jigsaw PAC, Jacob McCalmon, BELL Construction, Beverly Burger (Franklin BOMA), Jason Potts (Franklin BOMA), Matt Brown (Franklin BOMA), and multiple other establishment figures.

The Grassroots Contrast — No Connections, No Strings

On the other side are candidates who received no money whatsoever from JACK PAC or any of the machine’s interconnected establishment notables listed above. These are the true grassroots candidates:

• Lisa Hayes (District 1) 
• Marie Fellhauer (District 11) 
• Marlin Jackson (District 5) 
• Justin Bumpus (District 2) 
• Chris Richards (District 7) 
• Kahn Garrett (District 12)

Their funding comes instead from local individual conservatives, and local donors. These candidates have no connection to the machine, no obligations to any PACs, elected officials, or BOMA insiders — only to the people they represent.

There are no strings to be pulled.

What This Means for Republican Primary Voters

This is a Republican primary. State Senator Jack Johnson’s JACK PAC and the rest of the establishment machine (elected officials, Franklin BOMA members and political insiders), are actively shaping the field by supporting a coordinated slate.Voters are not simply choosing between individuals. In district after district they are choosing between:

• Candidates backed by the Republican establishment machine (JACK PAC, elected officials, Franklin BOMA members, and political committees, with all the connections and potential obligations that come with it) OR
• Candidates supported by grassroots conservatives and local donors (who have zero connection to the machine and no strings attached)

The endorsements that will drop in the coming days will almost certainly follow the exact map already written in the finance reports. The same political names who provided the notable establishment support will appear on the endorsement lists.

The divide is real. The data proves it.

Williamson County Republican voters now have the clearest possible signal before the May 5 primary: follow the money from JACK PAC and the establishment machine, watch the endorsements, and decide which side of the divide best represents the future you want for the county — one with strings attached, or one with none. Early voting is underway now through April 30. Your vote matters.

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