How Democrats used to use Patronage in Tennessee to generate donations to the party

This is an amazingly explicit discussion of how the Democrats in Tennessee used the power of government spending to get donations for the party.  From the Washington Post:

Tennessee Democrats, who’d watched their conservative voters drift to the GOP, finally lost the state House in 2010. That had been a financial lifeline for Democrats, since the legislature has broad powers over patronage. 

“That pretty much was the end,” said Cheek, the executive committee member. “Because we have nothing left. In the other low points, we had the Election Commission, we had the Building Commission. . . . If you wanted to get state deposits into your bank, those were all ours. And that’s where you’d raise your money.” 

Losing those powers “really kicked the props out from under the financing of the party,” Cheek said. . . .

Hat tip to Larry White for pointing to this link.