Meet Your Williamson Co. Candidates

Strong candidates need your help to be extra-strong.

Neighbors: 

It’s Jared Sullivan. I hope you’re well. I’ll try to keep this email short, but, suffice it to say, the August 1 election (which I wrote about here) didn’t go terrific for the reasonable people of Williamson County. Voter turnout was abysmal. Several Moms for Liberty-adjacent candidates won school-board seats. And Brian Beathard, a longtime public servant and easily the most sensible Republican running to fill Sam Whitson’s seat in TN House District 65, lost out to a pro-voucher nut. 

In my view, Williamson County voters, right and left, should take great offense that out-of-state dark-money pacts poured almost a million dollars into the District 65 race to sway the outcome in favor of Beathard’s opponent, Lee Reeves (who won by fewer than 100 votes). And we should be embarrassed that so many of our neighbors seemed to have believed the deceptions and half-truths about Beathard simply because they read them on mailers. We need a better-informed electorate, that’s for sure. Governor Bill Lee, for his part — a man who loudly professes the Christian faith and yet refuses to distribute $717 million in federal aid for poor families — proved that he’ll stop at almost nothing to defund our public schools by backing Reeves and by signaling that he’s okay with outside money propping up pro-voucher candidates statewide.

Anyway: why I’m writing is that hope is not lost by any means, because several strong gun-sense, pro-public-school candidates will be on the ballot during the upcoming November 5 election. And you have several chances to meet them in the very near future! Including today! (Don’t know which district you’re in? Check here.)

TN House District 61
Claire Jones, who’s running against Gino Bulso, a noted cousin-marriage proponent, for House District 61 has a bunch of door-knocking opportunities coming up. She’s also hosting a fundraiser on September 21 at TBD location. 

TN House District 63
Today (yes, today!) Dr. Laura Andreson, a Franklin OBGYN, will be at a meet-and-greet, from 2–3:30PM, at 6602 Hatcher Lane, in Thompson Station. Andreson is running against pro-voucher Jake McCalmon.

TN House District 65
LaRhonda Williams is facing off against pro-voucher Lee Reeves for the TN House District 65 seat. I wasn’t able to confirm when her next meet-and-greet is, but here’s her website where you can find out more about her and volunteer to help her campaign. 

U.S. House for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District
Maryam Abolfazli — or, simply, Maryam — is trying to replace Andy Ogles, who seems to be in a wee bit of trouble with the FBI, in Congress. Maryam is on the board of the local gun-reform group Rise & Shine, which does good work in trying to keep children safe. On August 22, Moms Demand Action is holding a phone-banking event for Maryam. Then, on September 11, Maryam is holding a fundraiser at the Brentwood Public Library. 

OK! That’s it for now! Mark your calendar for those events — and don’t forget to buy a dozen copies of my forthcoming book about TVA, VALLEY SO LOW! Even if you don’t actually buy a dozen copies, I hope to see you at the release party, on Oct. 15, at 6PM, at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin. RSVP here. Also, on Oct. 16, I’ll be speaking at the Williamson County Public Library, on Columbia Ave., at 6PM, if you can’t make the Landmark event.

(Sorry to shamelessly shill my own project, but that’s what booking-writing requires, I’m afraid!)