Few PAC donors for Dem. governor candidate Jerri Green

NASHVILLE — Financial disclosures show Democratic candidate for Tennessee Governor Jerri Green funded her primary campaign mostly with small individual donations from in-state residents. Of the $566,000 Green raised this year, only about 7% came from PACs, businesses or organizations. Only 5.8% of Green's total donations in 2026 came from outside Tennessee. Green, a Memphis city council member, won the Democratic nomination by a 51-point margin. She heads into a general election against Republican nominee and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a favorite to win the governor's office. Green will also likely face competition from Carter County native David Hatley, an independent who is entirely self-funding his campaign. His campaign account shows $5.7 million in cash-on-hand, the biggest war chest in the governor's race as of the last reporting period in July. Green raised $566,000 this year for a primary race she was expected to win from the onset. Her account shows a balance of $118,000 as she turns her sights toward the Nov. 3 General Election, for which she is likely to ramp up fundraising efforts. Left-leaning special interest PACs from outside the state may end up contributing more heavily to Green's general election campaign, as she will be fighting an uphill battle against a well-known Republican candidate in a solid-red state. But as of July 31, 96% of donations to Green's campaign were worth $100 or less. Green's largest donor was The Progress Fund, a Knoxville-based political action committee with little information available online. Of Green's few PAC donors, it was the only one to hit the state's donation limit — $15,400. A handful of Plumbers and pipefitters associations backed Green as well. Two Nashville plumbing unions and two statewide pipefitters' trade associations combined to donate $17,000 to Green's campaign. Some of Green's top individual donors include Don Henley, an American singer-songwriter best known as a founding member of The Eagles. Others include Donal Cooper, president of a Nashville-based machinery company, and Memphis-area physician Marc Siberberg. All three contributed the maximum amount for an individual donor — $5,300.