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TNGOP adds campaign qualifying fees

By ZOË HAGGARD - zhaggard@t-g.com
Posted 1/6/22

The Tennessee Republican Party implemented new qualifying fees last August for those running for office this year.  How will this affect local races?

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TNGOP adds campaign qualifying fees

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The Tennessee Republican Party implemented new qualifying fees last August for those running for office this year. 

The fees are as follows, according to the TNGOP bylaws: 

  • Governor - $5,000 
  • US Senate - $5,000 
  • US Congress - $2,500 
  • Tennessee State Senate - $1,000 
  • Tennessee State Representative - $500 
  • Partisan Judicial Offices - $500 
  • Countywide Elected Offices - $100 
  • County Commission and Constable - $25 

Local fees 

According to Bedford County GOP Chair Sandy Still, the $25 fee for County Commission and Constable goes to having access to the TRP database, which has all of the election information by precinct.  

“You pay like 35 dollars to the election commission, and you can get that information. But it will be better through the state because it will be more up to date. Also, it will be geared to the office you’re running for,” said Still. 

Qualifying fees are common in 33 states across the nation. Still said she was surprised to learn Tennessee did not have qualifying fees.  

“Being from Georgia, we’ve always had qualifying fees...It’s something that puts you in the party. It shows your commitment to the party,” she said.  

Why this year?  

After a year and half of debate, TRP Chair Scott Golden said, “We opted to go down this route because we recognize the number of candidates we have seeking our nomination, and it is a tremendous amount of strain on what needs to be done.” 

Running as a Republican candidate is fairly easy in Tennessee. “Our ballot qualifications for the state of Tennessee are the lowest in the nation with 25 registered signatures to run,” said Golden.   

Golden admits they didn’t have a comprehensive list of candidates and their information since fees and registration were not a requirement. 

Now, “They will actually be in touch with the Tennessee Republican Party through which they’re getting their ability to run,” Golden said.  

Tennessee’s historical party switch also had a part in encouraging TRP members to enact the fees.  

“For the last 150 years, the Tennessee Republicans have been the minority party. So, traditionally, when you’re in the minority, you’re obviously searching for your candidates, but you don’t want to put any impediments in place,” Golden said. “And when you’re the majority party, you have all the candidates who are running, and there are additional expenses.” 

Tennessee Democrats 

Many states, like Georgia, with qualifying fees also have qualifying fees for Democratic candidates.  

However, the Tennessee Democratic Party does not charge fees for candidates to run.  

“We are trying to recruit good candidates that are experienced and want to run in their area to help represent people,” said TNDP Treasurer Carol Abney, speaking for Chair Hendrell Remus.  

“We just don’t want to put more of a burden on people. If there’s a qualified candidate that wants to run, they won’t have to pay us the fee. They will have people that will donate to them and support them,” she said.  

The TNDP also offers candidate training, so if someone wants to run, they can contact the TNDP and receive free training, “because we want to help put people in seats that care about people,” according to Abney. 

Standard, percentage, or tiered  

Using Georgia as an example, qualifying fees are based on the salary of the elected office. Therefore, some of the fees are higher, according to Georgia’s secretary of state’s website. For example, the fee for U.S. State Senator in Georgia is $5,220 (based on a $174,000 salary), whereas the fee is $5,000 here in Tennessee.  

Golden said TRP debated whether they should use tiered fees, percentage-based fees, or standard fees (like Mississippi, where fees for every office are the same).  

“Tennessee’s elected representatives get paid based on the size of the county,” so there’s a lot of calculation that goes into it, Golden said. Since candidates tend to spend more in a governor race versus county commissioner race, Golden said they felt a tiered system was most balanced. 

“We wanted to put in there enough so that the candidates would feel like they’re investing in a party that they’re seeking a nomination but not high enough where we would deter anyone from running for office as a serious candidate,” he said.  

T-G asked if this could be interpreted as impeding speech. Golden said there are ways around paying the fees. 

For example, if a Republican candidate is running for a position that is occupied by another party, they do not have to pay the fees. For 2022, candidates running for school board will have no fees since they’re all independents, Golden explained. 

And if a candidate cannot afford the fees, there is a “hardship” political committee where candidates can reach out to Golden for an exemption.  

What are they for? 

Even though the database has always been offered to nominees, “This time we’re going to make the effort to put it in as many candidates' hands as possible,” Golden said. 

In addition to having database access, the money is combined into a “collective pot” which is used by the Republican nominee to win against the other party, Still explained. 

“It’s a way to get money so the state can help local candidates. That was the reasoning behind it. Everybody who wants to run wants the state to send out flyers or help them some way, this puts money in the pot to help with those elections,” said Still.  

Golden said there are an “array” of ways TRP can help local races, such as through digital ads, mail services, creative consulting, grassroots activism to name a few. This is essential for where “battleground” areas may be. 

“We were very successful in 2018 in Bedford County with the Republican County mayor for the first time. So were hoping to add more local offices down there this time,” Golden said.