Latest news with #6thCongressionalDistrict
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
32 years after leaving office, a former SC congressman made a million-dollar campaign transfer
Robin Tallon Jr., who represented South Carolina's 6th District from 1983 to 1993, stands in Maryland home of former U.S. Rep Bill Sarpalius, a Texas Democrat, several years ago. (Photo courtesy of Robin Tallon Jr.) More than three decades after leaving elected office, a former South Carolina congressman transferred $1.25 million from his campaign reserves into a Morgan Stanley account for charitable giving. Robin Tallon Jr., who represented the 6th Congressional District for 10 years before not seeking re-election in 1992, moved the money last October as a 'donation of securities,' according to the description on his last federal campaign filing. That's not for personal investments, he told the SC Daily Gazette, but to a donor-advised fund to be distributed to charities. The transfer was intended as the first step in officially shutting down the account, as the 78-year-old Florence resident thought he'd closed the door on attempting a return to politics. But as of Friday, he was rethinking that decision. Despite not being in office since Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, Tallon said he's kept his campaign account open — and filed regularly with the Federal Election Commission — ever since, just in case he decided to make another run. In the meantime, he invested donations from decades ago, which is how he had that much money to transfer, he said. 'I've been encouraged to run by constituents and other people to run over the years,' he told the SC Daily Gazette last week. And he may yet try to return to Washington — this time as a senator. He's considering a 2026 bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as an independent. Tallon, a native of Dillon, represented the 6th District as a Democrat when it spanned the Grand Strand and entire Pee Dee region. After a federal court drastically redrew the district's lines following the 1990 census to create a House seat with a majority Black population, Tallon decided not to seek re-election. Democrat Jim Clyburn has held the seat since. While he left Congress, Tallon didn't altogether leave Washington. He worked as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill for a quarter century. His clients included Atria, one of the largest producers of tobacco, and dentists. Tallon no longer considers himself a Democrat. The party's moved too far left, he told the Gazette. But unlike many other former Democrats in South Carolina who switched parties, Tallon doesn't consider himself a Republican either. He thinks South Carolina has become a 'lap dog' for President Donald Trump, who he considers bad for the country. So, he's considering running as an independent, knowing he can't win that way. But he could 'perhaps hold some of our elected officials' feet to the fire,' he said Friday. 'It's almost why not,' he said of a potential bid using the remaining $96,500 left in his campaign account. He would not undo the transfer to Morgan Stanley, he said. The transfer was part of his 2024 end-of-year report filed April 12, more than two months late. Tallon blamed that on his accountant, saying he didn't even realize it was past due. Outside of Tallon, there's only one former South Carolina congressman with an open campaign account: Gov. Mark Sanford. As of his last FEC filing, the former two-term governor and two-time 1st District representative had more than $1.3 million cash on hand in his congressional campaign account. He told the Gazette he's keeping it open because he may seek office again. Sanford last campaigned in 2019, in a short-lived challenge to Trump. He was ousted from his congressional seat in the 2018 GOP primary, which led to Democrat Joe Cunningham briefly turning the coastal district blue. If Sanford does return to politics, it wouldn't be his first comeback. He was widely expected to be done with politics when he left the Governor's Mansion in January 2011 following a scandalous affair with a woman in Argentina. But two years later, voters sent him back to Congress in a special election to replace Tim Scott, after then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him to the U.S. Senate. Sanford, who has long railed about out-of-control federal spending, had no details of his potential future bid. 'Time will tell,' he told the Gazette about his plans. Tallon initially told the Gazette his account would likely be emptied within six weeks. But, with a potential future bid, it will stay open indefinitely. While certainly unusual, there's nothing illegal about keeping an account open as long as Tallon, according to the FEC. The federal agency recommends emptying and closing campaign accounts within six months of leaving office, according to a 2013 advisory opinion. However, there's no required timeline, a spokesperson for the commission said in an email to the Gazette. And if a former officeholder is considering a run, as Tallon claims he has been for the last three decades, there's no requirement to zero out the account at all. It's illegal for officeholders to use campaign donations for personal expenses, even after they leave office. Departing officeholders' options include reimbursing their donors, donating to charities or giving money to other campaigns and PACs, as South Carolina's other former congressmen have done. Former 3rd District Rep. Jeff Duncan, who decided not to seek an eighth term last year, terminated his account in April. He gave the Jobs, Energy and Our Founding Fathers PAC that he sponsored more than $640,000 in the process. Former 4th District Rep. Trey Gowdy left Congress in 2017 but didn't close out his account until 2021. He listed a $905,000 donation to the Miriam Foundation, a faith-based organization that provides mentorship and support for young women, in his final FEC filing. And former Rep. Henry Brown, who represented the coastal 1st District after Sanford left Congress the first time, drained his account slowly, officially closing it nine years after not seeking re-election in 2010. In that time, he made a number of donations to candidates ranging from mayoral races to President Donald Trump. The donor-advised Morgan Stanley account that Tallon transferred his campaign money to allows him to decide which charities will get the money and when. Determining which organizations to donate has been difficult, he said. Tallon, who previously served on the Medical University of South Carolina board, said some of the money will go to the hospital, although he doesn't yet know how much. It isn't unusual for former officeholders to keep accounts open for years after leaving office, said Jordan Libowitz, an expert on campaign finance for the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Decades, however, is another matter. He's never seen someone keep an account open as long as Tallon, he said. 'That money probably should have been disposed of years ago,' he said. A 2018 investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa-based 10News WTSP, as well as numerous other TV stations, found 100 examples of so-called zombie campaigns. But Tallon stood out as showing 'just how much former lawmakers can get away with,' the reporters wrote seven years ago. Spending from his campaign account included a $20,000 payment to his son as campaign treasurer, $4,000 for a computer in 2007, and a $900 iPad in 2017, according to the report. At the time, he defended keeping the account open while weighing a potential return to office but conceded it was unlikely. 'I need to give that money away at this point,' he said in January 2018. But then he changed his mind. In July 2019, Tallon's lawyer, Butch Bowers, told the FEC that he would not close the account. 'At this time, he has not decided to do so, but he may very well elect to run for office in the near future,' Bowers wrote. Between the 2018 report and the Morgan Stanley transfer last fall, most of Tallon's campaign spending went to charities, accounting fees and nearly $8,700 in legal expenses, which he said was used for finding out what his options were for closing the account. Tallon said he'd contemplated running in multiple elections over the years, both in the House and Senate. He seriously considered challenging U.S. Rep. Tom Rice for the 7th District in 2022 but then decided against it. (Rice was ousted that year by former state Rep. Russell Fry.) Earlier last week, he told the Gazette he'd decided he was officially done with politics. He planned to close out the account. But on Friday, he was contemplating a run to call out the problems with both major parties. 'This would be a very low budget campaign, but a chance to hold our leaders in Washington accountable,' he said. 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Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stockard on the Stump: Rose jabs Gov. Lee, not his likely opponent, in gubernatorial kickoff
U.S. Rep. John Rose announces his 2026 gubernatorial bid Thursday backed by his wife, Chelsea, and sons Guy, 7, and Sam, 4. (Photo: John Partipilo) Photographs by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout ©2025 Following through on the worst-kept secret in Tennessee politics for a year, U.S. Rep. John Rose kicked off his 2026 gubernatorial campaign Thursday, not with a dig at likely opponent, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, but at lame-duck Gov. Bill Lee. Rose, a Temperance Hall farmer and owner of Boson Software, told a large crowd of chilled supporters at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon he loves the state's teachers. 'And it's why as governor, I promise to appoint a commissioner of education who has Tennessee teaching experience,' the 6th Congressional District rep said, eliciting a roar of approval. Lee has fallen under criticism for giving the education commissioner's post to Lizzette Reynolds of Texas, who was not certified to teach in Tennessee schools, as required by law, when she took the job two years ago. She then entered a teacher program at UT-Martin, a move hampered by a sworn affidavit she and another education official signed saying she paid for the course when it had been discounted by the state. Reynolds came here from a pro-voucher organization to push Lee's private-school voucher initiative, which narrowly passed this year after failing in 2024. Asked Thursday if he backs Lee's program, Rose, who is in his fourth congressional term, took the middle of the road, saying, 'I support Tennesseans having choice, and I support having great public schools.' (He could have just said no, since he didn't say he likes the program.) Chelsea Rose, wife of U.S. Rep. John Rose, with the couple's sons at Rose's gubernatorial announcement. (Photo: John Partipilo) Supporters of U.S. Rep. John Rose braved the cold at his Thursday announcement he will run for governor in 2026. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Wrapped in the flag. U.S. Rep. John Rose hugs supporter Natasha Brooks. (Photo:John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Interestingly, Rose rolled out his platform, making pushes for better roads and health care. He said he would lead an effort to make all interstates at least eight lanes and to build four-lane highways to every county seat. In addition, Rose promised to work toward making sure every person in the state is no more than 30 minutes away from emergency medical care. Tennessee has been losing rural hospitals for more than a decade, in part because the state declined to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of uninsured and under-insured people. It's doubtful, though, he would push Medicaid expansion. Similarly to Lee, Rose said he would push to expand nuclear energy to avoid nasty California 'brown-outs.' (Bashing California is always a good strategy in Tennessee, since every rightwing nut in the Golden Bear State is moving here.) He also said he would protect the 'innocent unborn,' even though abortion is illegal, and improve the adoption system in the Department of Children's Services, which has struggled mightily for years to find homes for wards of the state. Rose has an estimated net worth of $56 million, according to Open Secrets, a D.C. watchdog group. He declined Thursday to venture how much it could take to run the campaign or whether he would self-fund, saying. 'We'll have the resources we need, so whatever we need to do to make sure the people of Tennessee hear our message.' Blackburn, who started turning heads about a gubernatorial run last fall, also was busy Thursday holding a strategy session in Nashville's Green Hills Hilton where Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, previously considered a frontrunner, and Lee's commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Stuart McWhorter spoke, along with consultant Ward Baker. More meetings are planned statewide as she prepares to make the campaign official within two months. The group's own polling shows Blackburn is beating Rose in his own district, and a brutal, expensive primary campaign is looming. Both are solid Trump backers, and Rose supported litigation challenging former President Joe Biden's win in 2020. He also voted against a resolution to give congressional medals of honors to police officers on duty during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that led to the deaths of several officers. To her credit, Blackburn is said to have encouraged Rose to run for governor during Ag Day on the Hill in Nashville this week but also told him she would beat him. He wasn't dissuaded. Gov. Lee headed to Washington, D.C., Thursday where he and other ultra-conservative governors cozied up to President Donald Trump for the signing of an order to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Republicans have been screaming for years that the feds should get out of the education game, in part because they put difficult requirements on state governments such as making sure special needs students receive a shot at a good education. Lee maintained the mantra that the department is a massive 'bureaucratic problem for states' costing billions of dollars that could be spent better by Tennessee and other states. The Republican governor said he believes Tennessee has a handle on providing a good education for all students, including those with 'unique needs.' 'States can do it better than the federal government can. I don't have one bit of concern about a lack of services or a lack of educational opportunities for children when the federal Department of Education's removed,' Lee told reporters after touring the construction site for a $2.3 billion Titans stadium. (The state put $500 million toward the project yet is worried about wasteful education spending?) Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, a retired special education teacher, called it a 'sad state of affairs' that Tennessee has to be held accountable for providing equal education opportunities to disabled children. 'We know this because they have now passed multiple voucher laws that force parents to give up their federal rights to resources for a child with a disability,' Johnson said in a statement to the Lookout. Education folks are leery, at best, and angry, at worst, about dissolving the federal department. The Tennessee Education Association said shutting it down will stop services for students and set the stage for 'dismantling, defunding and privatizing' public schools. JC Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, is concerned about the future of Title I programs for low-income children, free and reduced-price lunches and special education programs. The feds got involved in those areas decades ago because states were doing a poor job. Tennessee adopted rules connected with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but those need to be put into state law, Bowman said Thursday. 'There is no mechanism to ensure it is protected,' Bowman said. He added that many school district directors believe the state is ill-prepared to handle special needs programs. Thus, if the federal government is too bulky and bureaucratic, superintendents are suggesting the state be eliminated from the equation and the money sent straight to school districts. No offense, but that sounds like an idea way ahead of its time. And nobody accused Tennessee recently of making the government smaller. On the contrary, it is growing rapidly. The Senate Judiciary Committee, where Men Without Hats are required and cussing is forbidden, per the chair's rules, took some interesting votes this week, holding up two bills by Chairman Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga and one by Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis. The committee voted 4-4 on Senate Bill 219 by Taylor that would have allowed parents of juvenile offenders to pay restitution after a third crime. A majority vote is needed to move it out. 'Welcome to the NFL,' Gardenhire told Taylor after the tally. Gardenhire suffered his own setbacks this week, losing 5-4 on Senate Bill 17, which would keep school resource officers from reporting immigrant students without permanent legal documentation. He also lost 4-4 on Senate Bill 256, a measure that would create a process for convicts and district attorneys to seek post-conviction relief when new evidence is found showing a person is innocent. The Tennessee Innocence Project supported the bill, arguing the only way to reverse a guilty plea or conviction is for the district attorney to file a request with a judge, who doesn't have to approve. The District Attorneys General Conference countered that such a move would create a wave of requests for overturning convictions, though the number of contested cases isn't expected to be high. Following the tie votes, the chairman announced that the bills would stay in the committee, leading some to wonder whether they can return, because in the legislature, few things ever really die. For all practical purposes, they are dead for the year, and the General Assembly's website says they 'failed.' If lawmakers spent all of their time trying to revive dead bills, we'd be forced to spend the entire year at the Capitol and Cordell Hull. Can you say 'torture,' boys and girls? Rep. Johnson said this morning on X (formerly Twitter) that former Rep. John Mark Windle was in the U.S. Marshal facility at Nashville's federal courthouse in advance of a scheduled April 22 political corruption trial for ex-Speaker Glen Casada and his chief of staff, Cade Cothren. Windle is believed to have been subpoenaed to testify in the case as prosecutors try the pair on federal bribery and kickback charges involving state-funded constituent mailers put together by a secretive vendor called Phoenix Solutions. Former state Rep. Robin Smith pleaded guilty in the case and is cooperating with prosecutors. Federal marshals believed to have visited former Tennessee representative Windle and the governor's office could be central characters at some point. The day of an April 2019 deadlocked voucher vote, Casada gathered Cothren and lawmakers on the balcony outside the House chamber to twist arms for one more vote to pass the bill. While outside, the former speaker allegedly said he would call the governor's office and see if Windle could get a promotion to general in the Tennessee National Guard. Windle, who already held the rank of colonel, declined the alleged offer. The trial has been delayed multiple times, and lawmakers are hoping they can adjourn this session before the proceedings start. Roughly 20 legislators have been subpoenaed to testify, and they don't want to be caught hanging around Cordell Hull after testimony. Predictions for the session's adjournment range from April 15 to May 8, meaning it most likely will end somewhere between the two. The trial's first week, though, could be taken up with jury selection, which raises the question: Why would it take that long to pick a jury for a $52,000 case, which probably pales in comparison to the legal fees accumulated so far. With what could be the most creative bill to catch fire in the legislature – maybe ever – Nashville Democrats, Rep. Aftyn Behn and Sen. Heidi Campbell, are rolling out the 'Pot for Potholes Act,' an effort to legalize and tax recreational marijuana and use the tax revenue for highway, bridge and mass transit projects. The bill goes before the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee next Wednesday. Considering the state has a $38.5 billion backlog for road work, this could be a way to save the state budget, build a few roads and give farmers a new cash crop to replace hemp once the legislature burns those products. The governor wants to put $1 billion toward roads in the state's proposed $59.4 billion budget for fiscal 2025-26, a departure from the practice of paying for road work with the gas tax. The Behn-Campbell idea comes with a green sticker containing a large marijuana leaf in the middle of a state highway sign. The only problem is this slogan dredges up visions of filling those dratted tire-busting potholes with bundles of weed, which would be a terrible waste – at least without a bag of Cheetos on top. 'Hank, why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke? Why must you live out those songs that you wrote?'* *'Family Tradition,' Hank Williams, Jr. Writer's note: This song played at Rep. Rose's election kickoff, so it must be all good. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If Rep. Andy Barr vies for Senate, who runs for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District?
Rep. Andy Barr has told people that if Sen. Mitch McConnell doesn't run for reelection in 2026, he will seek that seat himself. While Barr hasn't publicly said he's running for the seat, the Monday afternoon news upped the speculation around the 2026 elections — including who would run for Barr's newly vacant Central Kentucky-centric 6th Congressional District seat. Quite a few Republicans and Democrats have been mentioned as possibilities, and a handful of Republicans have stated plainly that they'd take a look at it should Barr follow through on his intention to go for the U.S. Senate, foregoing reelection to the seat he's held for 12 years. The district leans Republican but is anchored by Fayette County, which comprises more than half of the district's population and has moved more to the left over time. Barr has won his last few races handily, but he has not faced well-funded competition since Amy McGrath in 2018, who got within three percentage points of beating him. However, a Republican-led redistricting effort in 2022 caused the district to reorient more towards the GOP, as Barr lost the blue-leaning Franklin County. The most clear response has been from Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, a businessman and pastor who has held his state House seat representing Clark County and a portion of South Fayette County since 2021. Dotson told the Herald-Leader he is 'committed to running' if Barr goes for the Senate. 'My family and I have already weighed this out and have made the decision to run, but we of course would want to make sure Andy comes out and commits to the Senate race first,' Dotson said Monday. Four other elected officials on the Republican side of the aisle are often mentioned in political circles as candidates for Barr's seat if he leaves: state Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington; state Rep. Deanna Gordon, R-Richmond; state Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville; and former state Senate GOP leader Damon Thayer, of Georgetown. Bledsoe served on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for eight years before claiming her Senate seat starting in 2023. She told the Herald-Leader she was focused on delivering results for her Senate District 12 — which includes a swath of Fayette County as well as Woodford, Mercer and Boyle counties — during this year's legislative session, which is currently under way in Frankfort. 'However, if an opportunity arises to further serve and support the community that has given me so much and that I deeply love, I would be open to pursuing it,' Bledsoe wrote in a statement Monday. Gordon, who has represented much of the growing city of Richmond in Madison County since 2019, struck a similar note. In a Monday statement to the Herald-Leader, she said she'd 'take a strong look.' 'If this congressional seat opens up I'll take a strong look at it because we need a conservative who can get the president's agenda passed and get our country on the right track,' Gordon wrote. Thayer told the Herald-Leader that he's received a lot of encouragement to consider running if Barr leaves. He just left his post as one of the top Republicans in the state Senate this year. 'I'm receiving a lot of encouragement to consider if it (Barr running for the Senate) indeed happens. But, you know, I'm 41 days into legislative retirement and really enjoying my private sector pursuits. I'm a long way away from a decision, but it's certainly something I would consider,' Thayer said. Lockett, who represents much of Jessamine County and a small portion of Fayette County, did not respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment on the matter. He ran against Barr for the nomination in 2010 when the seat was still held by former Democratic congressman Ben Chandler. Another prominent Republican often mentioned for the role is former commissioner of agriculture Ryan Quarles, a Georgetown native who now leads the state's community and technical college system. Quarles recently came in second in the 2023 GOP gubernatorial primary behind former attorney general Daniel Cameron. He did not respond to a Herald-Leader question on whether he'd consider running for the district. The Democratic field is less clear, though not without strong potential candidates. Among the names most frequently mentioned for the office are a handful of former officeholders and a couple party officials. Kentucky Democratic Party Executive Director Morgan Eaves, a former Richmond city council member who currently lives in Lexington, indicated potential interest to the Herald-Leader. 'Now more than ever, Kentuckians and Americans deserve leaders who advocate for them. I love my job as executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party, but am always looking for additional opportunities to advocate for every Kentucky family,' Eaves wrote in a statement. Rocky Adkins, a senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear who was previously the top state House Democrat, has not responded to a Herald-Leader inquiry on if he's considering a run for either Congress or Senate. After Beshear won in 2023, Adkins was quoted saying he had 'fuel left in the tank.' Preston Worley, a former city councilman who just left office, has deep ties to the region and has been rumored as a candidate for local office or the 6th Congressional District. He has not responded to questions about his status. Former state House Democratic caucus chair Cherlynn Stevenson, who represented multiple parts of Lexington and a slice of Scott County, declined to comment on if she was considering a run for the seat currently held by Barr. Colmon Elridge, the state party chair, is often mentioned as a potential candidate for the office. He did not respond to a question concerning his interest, if any, in the post. There are also a couple notables who have completely taken themselves out of the running. A spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, a politician with Central Kentucky ties through her Mercer County roots, told the Herald-Leader that she would not run for either Congress or Senate in 2026. Coleman has previously hinted at running for governor in 2027, when Beshear will be term-limited. State Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, told the Herald-Leader that he would not run for the seat. Editor's note: This story has been updated since publication to reflect additional names of potential candidates.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County GOP lists delegates for state, congressional districts
The Carver County Republicans recently posted a listing of those elected for delegates to the state and (for the first time) 3rd Congressional District and 6th Congressional District conventions. Click here for more.
