In May, when Tennessee Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey announced an effort to unseat three Tennessee Supreme Court justices in this year's retention elections, some observers predicted a costly fight. Recent FCC election-season disclosures appear to bear that prediction out.
Chief Justice Gary Wade and fellow justices Cornelia Clark and Sharon Lee are at the center of a battle over whether or not they will retain their seats on the state's highest court. The race has attracted national attention, and national money.
Spending on television ads in large Tennessee markets has risen above the $400,000 mark, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Most of that money has gone to stations in the Nashville area, to the tune of nearly $155,000. Ad time was also purchased on stations in Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities area.
The spending isn't fifty-fifty. While conservative groups aligned against Wade, Clark and Lee have shelled out nearly $120,000 on TV ads, the judges' supporters have spent close to $80,000 more than that on political messages supporting the trio. Those figures don't include the money spent on direct-mail campaigns and other means to reach Tennessee voters.
It's likely the reported totals will go rise even higher by the time final spending documents are released. The judicial retention election is Thursday, August 7.