Image Credit: GaryHumbleForSenate.com
Press Release –
FRANKLIN, TN – Tuesday, March 26, 2024 –
After an 18-month inquiry by the TN Registry of Election Finance (TREF) as to whether or not Gary Humble coordinated with advocacy group, Tennessee Stands in his campaign for state senate, the TREF finds no wrongdoing and yesterday, the board voted unanimously to cease its formal inquiry.
Just one month after the results of the August 4, 2022 Republican Primary Election in Tennessee, the TREF voted to audit the campaign of Gary Humble. No formal complaint under the jurisdiction of the Registry was ever filed against the campaign and no evidence existed to suggest that the campaign had not fully complied with campaign finance regulations.
But during a September 7, 2022 TREF board meeting, board member Tom Lawless insisted, “Because I’m the one that’s pushing this, probably. Because there’s some smoke out there, usually means there’s something else underneath it that’s causing it to rise. And I’m just glad you guys get to dig into it.”
It is worth noting that Tom Lawless is the member of the board by state statute appointed by the Senate Republican Caucus, the same caucus led by Majority Leader Jack Johnson, the incumbent challenged by Gary Humble in the 2022 primary election.
“After 18 months, I’m glad that it is over. They say that the process is the punishment. And it is hard not to feel as if this was some type of political retribution for challenging a 16-year incumbent Majority Leader,” says Humble. “The work of the Registry is important and the people of Tennessee certainly deserve transparency. But candidates should also have the ability to run for public office without fear of reprisal or retribution by the political establishment.”
