The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance meeting on Jan. 23, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo)
The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance is requesting the Attorney General’s Office investigate two Constitutional Republican groups that have failed to register as political action committees even though a complainant claims their activities require state spending disclosures.
Registry members voted Tuesday to send the matter to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti after a Goodlettsville business owner made a sworn complaint against the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans and their partner organization, the Tennessee Constitutional Republicans.
West Duenkel, owner of a motorsports photography business, filed the complaint with the Registry and the Sumner County District Attorney’s Office, claiming the two groups are unregistered political action committees yet qualify as a “multicandidate political action committee,” making expenditures to support or oppose two or more candidates for public office or two or more measures in an election involving referendums. Duenkel contends he hasn’t been able to find a political action committee disclosure or any financial disclosures for the two groups even though they’ve been operating for more than a year.