Show Us The Money

Michaela Barnett, the Democratic challenger running for Tennessee's 2nd U.S. House District, raised $190,931 through March 31. Individual donors supplied $180,051 of that total. Barnett also took out $6,000 in candidate loans that remain unpaid. She spent $159,963 during the period, leaving $30,968 in cash on hand.

Organizational money played a minimal role. Barnett received $250 from other political committees and nothing from political party committees. Her principal campaign committee is Michaela for Tennessee.

Candidate Rankings

Barnett's fundraising places her well below Tennessee's top fundraisers in the 2026 election cycle. Her $190,931 represents less than 0.2% of the roughly $134.9 million raised by all candidates in the state.

The state's most prolific fundraisers include Bill Hagerty, who raised $5.88 million for his Senate bid, and Matthew Robert Van Epps, who brought in $1.98 million for his House race. Charles J Fleischmann collected $1.88 million, while Chaz Molder gathered $1.83 million and David Kustoff pulled in $1.81 million.

The fundraising gap reflects broader patterns in Tennessee campaign finance in 2026. Republicans in the state fielded 25 candidates who combined to raise $21.1 million. Democrats ran 22 candidates who collectively raised $5.6 million. Independents and American Independent candidates raised minimal sums by comparison.

Contributors

Barnett received only $250 from political committees other than her own. She received no support from political party committees, a significant constraint for a challenger in a competitive race.

Incumbents vs. Challengers

Across Tennessee's congressional races, incumbents generally hold a significant financial edge over challengers and open-seat candidates. Barnett, running as a non-incumbent challenger, operates with substantially less cash on hand than many better-funded campaigns competing statewide during the 2026 election cycle.

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Source: Federal Election Commission (FEC), data current as of March 31, 2026.

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