Conservative Republican Joe Carr announced Tuesday the 4th quarter fundraising totals for his primary challenge to Senator Lamar Alexander and highlighted a surge in contributions over the previous quarter. In an FEC filing due at the end of this month, Mr. Carr's campaign will report raising $250,000 — including contributions from over 1,000 new donors -- in the 4th quarter of 2013.
"As I’ve traveled from one end of Tennessee to the other, the response has been tremendous," said Mr. Carr. "These numbers show that our message is resonating with Tennesseans. They agree that we need conservative leadership in the Senate and a Senator who isn’t afraid to stand up to Barack Obama and Harry Reid.
“Our campaign finance reports also highlight a fundamental difference between the two campaigns. Senator Alexander is supported by the political establishment and Washington special interests who want to protect the status quo. Our campaign is backed by grassroots conservatives who want to take back their party and clean up the mess created by the liberal career politicians in Washington. I’m proud to have their support in this fight,” said Mr. Carr.
A recent Vanderbilt University poll showed a 20 percent decline in Senator Alexander’s approval rating among voters who identify with the Tea Party — and an overall rating under 50 percent, said officials. Other publicly released polling has showed Senator Alexander receiving 46 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.