{"id":597,"date":"2026-06-23T17:09:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=597"},"modified":"2026-06-23T17:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:09:24","slug":"former-corecivic-ceo-damon-hininger-eyes-us-senate-seat-in-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=597","title":{"rendered":"Former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger Eyes US Senate Seat in Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more An Abelardo de la Espriella Presidency Threatens Colombia\u2019s Climate Policies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Damon Hininger, the former CEO of Tennessee-based private prison operator CoreCivic, is interested in being Tennessee\u2019s next U.S. senator when the seat opens up.<\/p>\n

Hininger publicly acknowledged for the first time that he wants to replace U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn if she wins her bid for governor this year, according to the Nashville Business Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Since 2024, when he chaired the state Republican annual dinner, Hininger has fueled speculation about an entry into politics, and his name was floated as a 2026 gubernatorial candidate. <\/p>\n

He ultimately decided against running for governor and backed Blackburn. Hininger and his wife have both donated the maximum total amount of $21,200 to Blackburn\u2019s gubernatorial campaign account, and he contributed an additional $50,000 to a PAC linked to the campaign. He\u2019s among her top 10 donors, according to the Lookout\u2019s campaign finance database. <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Hininiger created an organization called Believe in Tennessee with the stated goal of promoting him and Republicans in Tennessee. The organization is 501(c)(4), a U.S. Internal Revenue designation given to groups that promote \u201csocial welfare.\u201d A 501(c)(4) can raise unlimited sums of money without disclosing donors, and that group can donate to a political action committee. <\/p>\n

The Lookout<\/em> reached out to Hininger through Believe in Tennessee to request an interview and sent questions about his tenure at CoreCivic and his political donations. Jeremy Harrell, a spokesperson for the group, responded but did not grant the Lookout<\/em> an interview.<\/p>\n

Harrell said in an emailed statement that the Hiningers have long supported Republican candidates \u201cwho are committed to keeping Tennessee the best place to live, work, and raise a family.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201c[They] are no strangers to criticism from the left,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cThey will not be intimidated from continuing to support the principles and leaders they believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hininger worked at CoreCivic for decades, beginning as a correction officer and serving as CEO from 2009 until he stepped down in 2025. CoreCivic, based in Brentwood, is one of the largest private prison operators in the United States. <\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t trust anything he says,\u201d said Tim Leeper, whose son died of an overdose at a CoreCivic-run prison in Tennessee. \u201cHe says he\u2019s for accountability, but then the company he led did everything it could to undermine legislation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leeper, who runs an advocacy group for criminal justice reform called Kylan\u2019s Light, named after his son, said he\u2019s tried to convince state lawmakers to pass bills to hold CoreCivic accountable for deaths at its prisons and provide more oversight, but he\u2019s watched lobbyists for the company stop them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he becomes our next senator by appointment, it will just be a continuation of the favor network. He and CoreCivic donate a lot to politicians.\u201d <\/p>\n

CoreCivic runs four prisons as part of a contract with the state of Tennessee and a fifth in West Tennessee, now contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE. Hininger has previously touted on earnings calls that President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown was financially beneficial to CoreCivic. <\/p>\n

The company is also currently under federal investigation for civil rights violations at its state-affiliated prison in Trousdale County, an investigation launched in 2024. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the investigation in the final months of President Joe Biden\u2019s administration, stating previous audits had \u201cflagged dangerous understaffing and safety concerns\u201d and that the probe would examine how those incarcerated at Trousdale were being protected from \u201cincluding physical violence and sexual abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The investigation is ongoing. Harrell referred to CoreCivic\u2019s previous statements to the Lookout<\/em> about the investigation, in which a company spokesperson said the \u201csafety and dignity of every person in our care is a top priority for our leadership.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hininger has become a prominent national Republican fundraiser, co-sponsoring a high-dollar event that Vice President J.D. Vance attended in 2024 before the presidential election. Vance returned to Nashville earlier this year for another fundraiser that Hininger co-hosted. <\/p>\n

Hininger and his wife have donated $1.75 million to Republicans or their political action committees, PACs, since the start of 2024, according to Federal Election Commission reports. The couple\u2019s largest contribution is almost $900,000 to the Republican National Committee.<\/p>\n

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Hininger had touted on earnings calls that Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown was financially beneficial to CoreCivic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger Eyes US Senate Seat in Tennessee - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=597\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger Eyes US Senate Seat in Tennessee - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hininger had touted on earnings calls that Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown was financially beneficial to CoreCivic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=597\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T17:09:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"Former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger Eyes US Senate Seat in Tennessee\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T17:09:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597\"},\"wordCount\":765,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/dc5450a96f0ea0d99525bb8f6a39b8a0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=597\",\"name\":\"Former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger Eyes US Senate Seat in Tennessee - 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