Show Us the Money

Brenda Woods is running for Tennessee's 9th U.S. House District in the 2026 Democratic primary, but the latest Tennessee campaign finance 2026 data shows she has not yet filed fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Here's how the race and the broader Tennessee congressional fundraising landscape look heading into the election.

The FEC's current data does not include a fundraising report for Brenda Woods in the 2026 cycle. No total receipts, individual contributions, or committee contributions are on file for her campaign as of the most recent reporting period ending March 31, 2026.

Her district does show active fundraising from other candidates. Democrat Justin J. Pearson leads the field there with $1,106,297 in total receipts and $387,863 in cash on hand. Incumbent Democrat Steve Cohen has raised $658,568 and holds $1,982,620 in cash on hand, the largest reserve among 9th District candidates.

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PAC and Organizational Contributors

No PAC or organizational contribution data is available for Brenda Woods, as no FEC filing has been recorded for her campaign this cycle.

Among 9th District candidates who have filed, Cohen received $281,500 from other political committees, while Pearson collected $18,500 from that same source. Republican Charlotte Bergmann reported $2,500 in committee contributions on $11,734 in total receipts.

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State Comparison

Tennessee's top fundraiser this cycle is U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty. His Tennessee Senate campaign money total stands at $5,880,481, nearly three times that of the next-highest candidate. Hagerty also holds $5,674,879 in cash on hand, the largest reserve in the state.

The top three Tennessee congressional fundraisers by total receipts:

1. Bill Hagerty (R, Senate), $5,880,481
2. Matthew Robert Van Epps (R, District 7), $1,982,057
3. Charles J. Fleischmann (R, District 3), $1,875,333

Because Woods has no FEC receipts on file, she does not rank among Tennessee's active fundraisers. The state's aggregate total across all candidates is approximately $134.9 million when including PAC activity. Woods' share of that total is zero based on current data.

The highest-raising Democrat in the state is Chaz Molder (District 5) with $1,825,648, ranking fourth overall in 2026 election donations statewide.

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Incumbents vs. Challengers

Incumbents are holding a clear fundraising edge in Tennessee this cycle. The eight incumbents with active filings have raised a combined total that far outpaces challengers on a per-candidate basis. Hagerty, Fleischmann, and David Kustoff (all incumbents) each topped $1.8 million in receipts.

Challengers and open-seat candidates are more scattered. Molder is the standout non-incumbent, raising $1,825,648. Most other challengers fall well below $600,000, and several have raised under $50,000.

The Republican and Democratic fundraising comparison across the full state field is lopsided. Twenty-five Republican candidates have raised $21,084,878 combined. Twenty-two Democratic candidates have raised $5,638,352. That gap reflects both Hagerty's dominant Senate haul and the fact that most competitive House incumbents in Tennessee are Republicans.

Woods, as a Democratic challenger with no reported receipts, enters a race where the financial gap between parties is already wide.

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

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