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By J. Holly McCall | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning, Lookout readers:

For political nerds, the days that campaign finance reports come out are like holidays and friends: those days are upon us.

Tuesday was the deadline for candidates running for state offices — governor, state Senate, state House — to file their financial disclosures and today is the day disclosures are due for federal candidates — U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives.

Naturally, your Lookout team has been combing through state disclosures and Adam Friedman leads today with the first of our stories, this one on gubernatorial finances.

Independent candidate David Hatley, a wild card in the race, has the most money heading into the final stretch before Election Day, having added an additional $5 million of his own cash into the political pot.

In other news:

  • MAGA PAC backs Hatch: MAGA PAC, a Super PAC that supports President Donald Trump, is dumping money into 66 U.S. House and Senate races to shore up GOP candidates. Among those receiving funds is Charlie Hatcher, Republican nominee for the 5th Congressional District, which is rated as R+10. MAGA PAC is giving Hatcher $75,000.

  • The rating means the Republican won the district by 10 percentage points higher in the last two presidential elections than the national average. Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder is the Democratic nominee in the race.

  • Jumped the shark: A bizarre AI video posted by Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Tuesday portrays Blackburn dancing in a pantsuit to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” backed up by 9th Congressional District GOP nominee, Sen. Brent Taylor, former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs as his wrestling persona, “Kane,” U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett and U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty.

THE LOOKOUT’S TOP STORY

With early voting underway and 19 days till the general election, state campaign finance reports show how much money gubernatorial candidates have raised to date. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

2026 gov race: Hatley puts in another $5M, Blackburn raises $2.1M, Green $1M

by Adam Friedman
Independent candidate David Hatley loaned his gubernatorial bid another $5 million in September, bringing his total self-funding to $12 million less than three weeks before the November election. He has a significant cash advantage over his rivals, including U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who has a total of $3.1 million heading into the general election.

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Gov. Bill Lee, right, and chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board Jimmy Granbery toast Wednesday’s announcement that Air France has added a direct Nashville to Paris flight. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

by Sam Stockard

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COMMENTARY

Death row offender Christa Pike was taken taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment after two failed lethal injections on Sept. 30. Hers is one in a series of failed executions in America over decades. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

by Mark Harmon

Tennessee’s botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike has left behind some lingering and disturbing questions. We never can forget the horrors guilty murderers have inflicted on innocent people and their surviving family members but we must also ask if we want the state to commit vengeful horrors in our name?

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