Democrats Spar Over Electability at Tennessee Congressional District 7 Forum

Candidates for the Democratic nomination in Tennessee’s Congressional District 7 special election participated in a Nashville forum on Sept. 9. From left, Rep. Vincent Dixie, Rep. Aftyn Behn, businessman Darden Copeland and Rep. Bo Mitchell.

by Adam Friedman, Nashville Lookout, September 10, 2025 - Four people sit on stools on a stage. From left, a black man wearing glasses and a bow tie; a white woman with blond hair looks down at her notes; and two white men wearing ties sit next to each other.

The four Democrats vying for a GOP-held Middle Tennessee congressional seat agreed that December’s special election was about serving as a check on the Trump administration. But each one thought only they were the electable choice.

Primary voters will vote in a special election on Oct. 7 for the Tennessee 7th U.S. Congressional District triggered by the resignation of Mark Green.

On Tuesday, a coalition of progressive groups including TIRRC Votes, The Equity Alliance, The Central Labor Council and Planned Parenthood held a forum at Nashville’s First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, with businessman Darden Copeland and Nashville state Reps. Aftyn Behn, Vincent Dixie and Bo Mitchell. 

Behn — who has been endorsed by Indivisible, a progressive political organizing group — said the only way a Democrat could win the seat was with energized turnout, which she could deliver by mobilizing voters with her progressive policies.

The 7th District’s primary election serves as the latest fight between the progressive wing of the party and moderate Democrats who vastly differ on how to win future elections.

Copeland, a first time candidate, said that whoever won the primary would face “a math problem,” mentioning he felt the need to run for the seat but didn’t specify how he would solve the problem. 

Since the district was redrawn in 2022, Green has defeated Democrats in back-to-back elections by 20%, with the Cook Political Report rating the seat as a “solid Republican.”

Dixie, a resident of the district’s North Nashville area, said winning the election would be about building a coalition and nominating someone who has lived the issues of the district.

Mitchell, a seven-term lawmaker from Dickson, said the race was about reaching out to rural voters, listening to them and convincing them to “quit voting against their self-interests.”

The district encompasses the western half of Middle Tennessee before taking a claw-like shape out of Nashville and Williamson County.

On the Republican side, nearly a dozen candidates are running for the nomination.

Americans for Prosperity Tennessee and SuperTalk 99.7 hosted a debate with Dickson state Rep. Jody Barrett, Brentwood state Rep. Gino Bulso, Franklin state Rep. Lee Reeves, and former Tennessee General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps, the four candidates polling highest in a recent survey by AFP Tennessee. Very few issues separated the GOP candidates, all agreeing that their job in Congress would be to support President Trump.

The general election is on December 2.

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Trump’s “State Capitalism … a Hybrid Between Socialism and Capitalism” Won’t Make America Great Again

by Michael Chapman, CATO Institute, Sept 13, 2025- In 1982, the gifted libertarian Roy A. Childs Jr. warned that the American New Right was working to build a “populist, authoritarian movement” hostile to free markets and committed to some form of managed economy. Forty-three years later, Donald Trump is president, and the Wall Street Journal’s chief economics commentator describes his policies as “state capitalism,” a “hybrid between socialism and capitalism in which the state guides the decisions of nominally private enterprises.” 

The Journal further argues that Trump is “imitating the Chinese Communist Party by extending political control ever deeper into the economy.” Economist Daniel J. Smith warns that this trajectory “risk[s] leading us down the road to serfdom that Friedrich Hayek warned against in 1944.”

Is that a realistic analysis—authoritarian, semi-socialist, serfdom-bound—and was Childs right? It sure looks that way.

To be clear, Trump is not pursuing traditional socialism, where the means of production are owned by the state. Nor is he trying to copy exactly China’s state capitalism—but he is applying its methods with what the Journal calls “American characteristics.”

What makes the situation especially troubling is that Trump does not operate from a coherent economic philosophy. His actions suggest not principle but instinct—nationalism, transactional bargaining, and bullying of critics, from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to Representative Thomas Massie.

In the commentary, the Journal’s Greg Ip notes that some past presidents—FDR, Bush, and Obama—implemented state capitalism temporarily in special circumstances. However, President Biden went further to “shape the actual structure of industry” through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Chips and Science Act, and consideration of a sovereign wealth fund to finance important but risky projects.

Trump’s economic intervention is bolder and, like Biden, cloaked in “national security” language. Examples abound. To approve Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel, Trump secured a “golden share,” granting him (or a designee) veto power over major decisions—functionally, a controlling stake.

The Defense Department is spending $400 million in taxpayer funds to buy a 15 percent stake in MP Materials, a California company that harvests rare earth minerals. The arrangement makes the government the firm’s largest shareholder.

Trump crafted an export control deal allowing Nvidia and AMD to sell artificial intelligence chips to China—on the condition that they pay the federal government 15 percent of the revenue. The conservative National Review called this “extortion” and a “lurch toward state-directed capitalism.”

Commenting on the chip deal, Cato’s Clark Packard said, “There is no statutory basis for these companies having to pay a share of their Chinese sales revenue in exchange for their export licenses. … Beyond the troubling legal questions, the deal with Nvidia and AMD reeks of more crony capitalism.”

In a related step, the Trump administration announced it is acquiring 10 percent of Intel stock in exchange for $9 billion in federal grants the tech company was slated to receive under the CHIPS Act. This makes the government the largest Intel shareholder. Walter Isaacson observed, “You’re seeing what is really state capitalism here, where the government is interfering in all sorts of ways in corporate decisions, whether it be pricing, whether it be Coca-Cola, whether it be Intel, and maybe taking a stake in it.”

The Journal’s editorial board labeled the move “a de facto nationalization.” Senator Rand Paul cautioned, “Today it’s Intel, tomorrow it could be any industry. Socialism is literally government control of the means of production.” Cato’s Scott Lincicome described it as “a dangerous turn in American industrial policy. Decades of market-oriented principles have been abandoned in favor of unprecedented government ownership of private enterprise.” Cato’s Ryan Bourne said that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick “can deny that this is a step” toward socialism, but “the effect is the president allocating capital through partial nationalization.”

Trump rejected the criticism and pledged to “make deals like that for our country all day long.” 

Trump’s willingness to personally attack CEOs reinforces the authoritarianism Childs anticipated. He demanded the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu-Tan, suggested Goldman Sachs leadership find other work, and, according to Fortune, has “publicly called out and humiliated” executives at JPMorgan, Bank of America, Walmart, Apple, and Harley-Davidson. Trump has also fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook, pressured Chairman Powell to resign, and dismissed the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after claiming jobs data were “RIGGED” to make him and Republicans “look bad.”

All those actions reek of state capitalism and soft tyranny. They also mirror what Ludwig von Mises, in 1947, termed interventionism, a “middle of the road” policy that “stands midway between” capitalism and socialism—similar to what the Journal’s Greg Ip termed a “hybrid,” whereby the state guides private companies’ decisions.

“The system of the hampered market economy, or interventionism, differs from socialism by the very fact that it is still a market economy,” wrote Mises. “The authority seeks to influence the market by the intervention of its coercive power, but it does not want to eliminate the market altogether.” 

“However, all the methods of interventionism are doomed to failure,” said Mises, because the more the government intervenes—e.g., tariffs, subsidies, regulations, price controls, bailouts—the more it distorts the economy and everyday living. “Government control of only a part of prices must result in a state of affairs which—without any exception—everybody considers as absurd and contrary to purpose. Its inevitable result is chaos and social unrest.”

To remedy the problem, the government intervenes again and again, which only compounds the chaos and unrest—all the while blaming capitalism and market failures. Mises called this the path to “socialism by installments.” Hayek described it as the road to serfdom.

“Now that Mr. Trump has crossed the Rubicon, Republicans will have no objection to the federal government expanding state ownership of companies,” Smith warns in the Journal. “Lawmakers will soon argue that if chips and steel are too important to leave to free markets, food and medicine are as well.” 

Such policies represent a betrayal of America’s founding principles. The nation was built not on state control but on liberty, private property, and the right to pursue happiness without government coercion. If those ideals are abandoned, state capitalism will not make America great again—it will make it unrecognizable.

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Federal Troops to Occupy Memphis

by Rod Williams, Sept. 12, 2025- It is now official that the National Guard will be deployed to Memphis. President Donald Trump announced it on Fox News today, following days of speculation. 

“I am just announcing that now, and we’ll straighten that out,” Trump said after the announcement. “...National Guard, and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring the military too, if we need it.”

Trump said Memphis is "deeply troubled," but that both Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee were happy about the deployment.

Despite Memphis being ranked as the most violent crime-ridden city in America, crime is down in Memphis, and reportedly, it is at a twenty-year low.  

I am unsure why Trump is sending troops to American cities. A major motivation seems to be to support ICE in making raids. Of course, Trump said he was going after the worst ot the worst criminal aliens. That, of course, would require investigative police work. The worst of the worst are not showing up for their court hearings or picking up their kids from school. It seems ICE just wants numbers and is going after the low-hanging fruit. 

We know that illegal aliens are not a major source of crime. It may be impolite to point it out, but cities with large Black populations have more severe crime problems, much of it gang-related. A short-term show of force in highly visible parts of town does little to curtail crime. It may make those parts of town where military forces are standing guard safer while the military is present, but National Guard troops will unlikely be going into Black neighborhoods and housing projects doing investigative work and building relationships with people in the community.

If making cities safer is the goal, that is already happening. Crime is heading down all across America. All we have to do is keep doing what we have been doing. Of course, ending cashless bail and more police on the streets, and some other actions would hasten the downward trend in crime. Those are decisions to be made at the local level, however. Each city gets to set its own priorities. If some cities are more tolerant of crime than I would be or if they have spending priorities different than what I might choose, then so be it. It is their right to govern themselves. 

Trump's motivation for sending troops into American cities may be nothing more than to show he can do it. He did say recently that as president, he could do whatever he wanted. He portrays himself as the decisive strong leader macho man. This may just be a reflection of Trump's bully personality.

Another motivation, I assume, is that Trump wants to please his base and keep them engaged. Part of the partisan divide is a rural versus urban divide, and many people who do not live in cities see cities as crime-ridden hellholes. By sending troops into American cities, Trump is confirming his base's prejudice and showing he is doing something to fix these Democrat run cities that are pandering to criminals, protecting illegal aliens, and are soft on crime.

 I fear that there is another motivation. Trump seems to be following the dictator's playbook.  He wants to accustom American citizens to the presence of military rule and make subjects out of citizens. 

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A Statement from the Chair of the Nashville GOP on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

 

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Remembering 9-11

by Rod Williams, Sept. 11, 2025- It is hard to believe it has been 21 years since 9-11. Many young adults were born after that event or were too young when it happened to recall it. It does not need to be forgotten

Reflecting on that day, I wish we were as united now as a country as we were in the days following that fateful day. Unfortunately, it appears to me that we as a people are more divided than any time since the Civil War. There was unity in grief, and people openly expressed love for their country following that savage assault on our country. I wish the unity and love of country were still in fashion. 

Another observation is that we have learned little since then. We are just as vulnerable now as then and Afghanistan is again ruled by the Taliban, and Al Qaeda again has a safe haven to plan a future attack. In addition to the potential threat posed by radical Islam, we face threats from Russia and China. While facing these threats, the US is making enemies of friends, abandoning collective security, and abrogating our leadership role in the world. The world is a dangerous place and the policies of the current administration are making it more dangerous. 

I pray we never again experience another nine-eleven and pray that God keeps us safe. Below are my reflections of how nine-eleven affected me and what I experienced, written in 2013.

Reflections on 9-11. Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning.

by Rod Williams - Sept. 11, 2013- On September 11, 2001 I got up like most days and got ready for work. As I recall, I had the TV on when a program was interrupted saying a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I did not think a lot about it at first. No details were available, and I assumed some private small plane had flown off course and accidentally crashed into the building. 

By the time I got to work, the second plane had hit and it was clear that the U. S. was under attack. My long-time, long-distance girlfriend, Louella Ballenger, who is now my wife, worked in Washington DC at the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, located right next to Union Station which is across the street from the back of the US Capitol. I do not recall the sequence of events exactly, but it must have been after the Pentagon was hit and I started wondering what was next. I feared we were under an all-out attack. I tried several times to reach Louella. I wanted to see if she was all right and tell her I loved her. I feared the worst. 

After several attempts, I reached her. Chaos was reigning at her place of work. People were free to leave work, but the subways were not running and the roadways were jammed. She was waiting out the crisis at her office. We told each other how much we loved each other. 

After getting off the phone with Louella, I just had a sense that I needed to talk to people I love so I next called my daughter. Rachel was in no danger, of course. She was in Chattanooga, attending college but I just wanted to hear her voice and tell her I loved her. I then called my mother. I remember how everyone at work and everyone I talked to was affected by the event. 

I was working at the Woodbine Community Organization, which was a community-oriented social services agency, neighborhood organization, and housing counseling agency.  I went to my boss, Cathie Dodd, and said we ought to do something. She agreed. We busied ourselves the next day putting together a program and emailing and calling people to tell them about it. With little advance notice, we had a full house. Co-workers and people from other agencies we work with, friends, agency clients, and people from the community joined in a memorial service at work. We prayed and sang songs and were comforted. All rancor and petty conflicts were put aside as we held hands in prayer and hugged and comforted each other. People cried. It was a healing process. 

After the immediate crisis was over, I asked Louella to quit her job and move to Nashville. We had, had a long-distance relationship for about ten years and were in love and we planned that when she retired, she would then move down to Nashville and we would get married and be together. I think 9-11 made us realize that you don't know what tomorrow holds and that life is short. Louella took early retirement; we bought a house and on thanksgiving weekend Louella moved to Nashville. 

This song by Alan Jackson captures that day perfectly for me. Alan Jackson said a day or two after the event he woke up and this song just poured out of him. He said it was the easiest song he had ever written.

 

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning  

Were you when the world stopped turning 

that September day 

Out in the yard with your wife and children 

Working on some stage in LA 

Did you stand there in shock at the site of That black smoke 

rising against that blue sky 

Did you shout out in anger, In fear for your neighbor 

Or did you just sit down and cry 

Did you weep for the children 

Who lost their dear loved ones 

And pray for the ones who don't know 

Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble 

And sob for the ones left below 

Did you burst out in pride

For the red white and blue 

The heroes who died just doing what they do 

Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer 

And look at yourself to what really matters

I 'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? 

Teaching a class full of innocent children 

Driving down some cold interstate 

Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor 

In a crowded room did you feel alone? 

Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her 

Did you dust off that bible at home? 

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened 

Close your eyes and not go to sleep 

Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages 

Speak with some stranger on the street 

Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow 

Go out and buy you a gun 

Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching 

And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns 

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger 

Stand in line and give your own blood 

Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family 

Thank God you had somebody to love?

 

I'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

I'm just a singer of simple songs 

I'm not a real political man 

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you 

The difference in Iraq and Iran 

But I know Jesus and I talk to God 

And I remember this from when I was young 

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us 

And the greatest is love 

The greatest is love 

The greatest is love 

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

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CHARLIE KIRK – 1993-2025

Ralph Bristol

by Ralph Bristol, Facebook, Sept. 11, 2025 - I didn’t know Charlie Kirk, so I won’t eulogize him

Instead, I will eulogize the freedom that dies whenever political violence occurs, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a special case, because of what he was best known for – going to college campuses to find students who disagreed with his political views and engaging them in a civil debate. 

I can’t speak to Charlie's political views or his character, and those things don’t matter nearly as much as his eagerness to engage with people with opposing political views. 

It speaks volumes that when the liberal governor of California, Gavin Newsom, started his own podcast, Charlie Kirk was his first guest, because Newsom respected Charlie’s modus operandi. 

There can be no two people in America with as dissimilar political views, but equally similar views on how people with opposing views should handle their disagreements – with civil debate, something that is not new in America, but has been lost, and is in desperate need of revival.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk will have a chilling effect on public discourse, not just because it adds to a growing list of contemporary political violence against representatives of both ends of the spectrum…

 President Trump survived two assassination attempts. In June, two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota were shot, one of whom was killed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home was firebombed in April. Three years ago a contemplated assassin gave himself up outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house. Rep. Steve Scalise was shot in 2017, and Rep. Gabby Giffords in 2011.

….but, specifically because of what Charlie was known for. 

When you assassinate a popular, contemporary icon of civil, public debate, you chill civil, public debate.  There are public figures, including members of Congress, the media, and academia, who will be afraid to engage in open, public debate for fear of another deranged shooter. 

There is no doubt that social media fuels political violence, but it’s not just social media.  All media with a business model that depends on pleasing one side of the political debate shares the blame for creating these monsters. 

And, politicians who specialize in condemning their opposition, rather than engaging them, are also to blame. Too many congressional hearings have become public floggings, with members of Congress taking turns rhetorically thrashing members of the administration. 

Then, when another person is shot, they all condemn the public violence, as if they are blameless.  I don’t want to hear another politician or media star condemn the violence they helped create.  I want to hear them say how they personally are going to change to be a better role model for others. 

The assassination of Charlie Kirk could mark the beginning of a very dark chapter in American history, or it could ignite a desperately needed revival of civil debate.  As I grieve for the inherent loss of freedom, and for Charlie’s family, I will pray for the latter.

Ralph Bristol is the former long-time morning talk radio host broadcasting on Supertalk 99.7 WTN. He was one of the less provocative and bombastic of conservative radio personalities, more thoughtful and grounded in conservative ideas. He left talk radio in 2018 and retired. He lives in Nashville. 

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What it is Like to Live in One of the Top Cities in the Country for Violent Crime

by Rod Williams, Sept. 6, 2025- What is it like to live in one of the top cities for violent crime in America? 

Not bad, actually.

Nashville itself has a population of about 705,000 people. It may feel larger than that. The greater Nashville metropolitan area has a population of 2.15 million people, and approximately 17 million people visit the city annually. The amount of crime we experience does not seem excessive to me.

Recently, it was reported that based on 2024 crime data from the FBI, Nashville, Tennessee, my hometown, is the 8th most violent city in America. Even worse, the most violent city in America was Memphis, Tennessee. Nashville is the state's capital city and the most populous city in Tennessee. Memphis is our second-largest city.

Actually, the FBI does not produce a list of the top-ten cities for violent crime; other people do that looking at FBI crime stats. In fact, the FBI discourages city-to-city comparisons. If you think about it, you can understand why. The statistics only show what is reported. Consider a city that has a series of high-profile domestic violence incidents, and develops a campaign to combat domestic violence and puts resources into education, and urges people to report domestic violence, and people do. The statistics would show an increase in crime when what is really happening is an increase in reporting of crime. With those caveats that the top-ten list has its limitations, I will accept that Nashville is the 8th most violent city in America.

Nashville is a great city, a wonderful place to live. The climate is nice, with four distinct seasons of about equal length, and no prolonged periods of terrible heat or cold, with only rare extreme weather events. The city is home to several universities, which adds to the flavor of the city. We have a wonderful park system. Being the capital, for those interested in political developments, there is a vibrancy to the city. Political rallies, protests, celebrations, and discussion groups, and political theater happen here. 

If you like sports, we have a major league football team, hockey team, soccer team, and a minor league baseball team. We are a foodie city, have a lively art scene, and of course, music. In addition to the boisterous live music in the numerous honky-tonks of lower Broadway, there are many intimate bars where songwriters play their new music and where bands do not just play covers that sound like the original, but where artist hone their craft. 

Also, there is always a themed festival of some sort going on, such as Wine on the River, Tomato Festival, Tin Pan South, Americana Fest, Art Crawl, and many, many more. I know this city well and have embraced all it has to offer. 

I get out and about, not as much as I used to, but I still do.  Labor Day weekend, I went to two days of the Musicians Corner music festival. I do the Art Crawl from time to time. I sometimes go to Lower Broad. On Sunday, I went to the Blues Jam at Elm Hill Pike Tavern. I often go to Santa's Pub for the Sunday night show, where you can always hear authentic, real country music. That is one of my favorite places. Doing all of these things, I never felt like it was a risky thing to do. I never feared I would be a victim of crime.

In addition to going to the places mentioned above by private car or Uber, I also walk. I walk for exercise and pleasure. I live only 2.1 miles from downtown, and can walk in any direction and have a destination. Sometimes I walk to Lower Broad or the Frist Museum, but those are long walks and I don't do those walks often. I often walk to Hillsboro Village, Wegewood-Houston, Fort Negley, Sevier Park, or the Fairgrounds, or Belmont University. All of these walks are about a 2.8 to 3-mile round-trip from my home. I know if you don't live here, you don't know these places, but they are interesting spots in the city. I have done my Sevier Park walk after dark and walked through the park. I have never felt I was in danger, and I don't go armed.

I have said all of the above to say that I know Nashville, and I experience Nashville, and I do not feel like I live in a dangerous city. The only time in which I have felt like the city was dangerous was during the BLM riots in May and June of 2020. During that time, Nashville, along with about 2000 other cities, were racked by violent demonstrations and lawlessness. Statues were toppled, the courthouse was attacked and a fire was set inside, police cars were set on fire, windows were broken, and buildings were spray-painted and looting occurred. Mobs blocked the interstate that circles the city and rocked cars and threatened drivers. During this period, I avoided downtown, avoided the Interstate loop, and went armed. That was an unusual period and only lasted a few weeks. Many cities had it a lot worse than we did.

So, if Nashville is the 8th most violent city in America, why don't I feel threatened? I don't think the violent crimes are crimes committed against random strangers. I think I have little to fear from living in this violent city.

Much of the crime is Black on Black crime, and much of that is among young Black men and is gang-related. Some of it is drug deals gone bad. I am not Black, young, in a gang, nor do I deal drugs. I regret that we have this violence in our city, and I am sorry Black young men are killing each other, but it really doesn't affect me. If I were Black and lived in the predominantly Black part of town, called North Nashville, I might feel different.

A horrendous event occurred in October last year near the Tennessee State University campus in North Nashville during homecoming weekend. Two rival gangs had a shootout at the intersection of Jefferson Street and 27th Avenue North, causing panic among those attending the street fair and disrupting the festivities. One person was killed and nine others, including three children, were wounded.  

This type of occurrence creates a perception that Nashville is a dangerous city. However, this was one event and it occurred in a part of the city where I seldom have reason to go. As far as how it affects me and my perception of Nashville as a dangerous, violent city, it might as well have happened in Memphis or Chicago. Thousands upon thousands of people attend professional sporting events. music festivals, and concerts in town with no murders, rapes, or shootouts occurring. 

Crime is not spread out evenly across the city. Other than the crime in predominantly Black North Nashville, some of the public housing projects and the areas around the housing projects seem to have a higher incidence of violent crime. I do not frequent those parts of town, simply because there is nothing of interest there to draw me to those parts of town. Most people in Nashville or visiting Nashville would not have a reason to visit these parts of town and one would not just wander into these areas by accident. 

Downtown is safe. The honkytonk area of Lower Broad and the adjacent Gulch area is where most visitors to Nashville would visit. These areas are safe. Consumers in these areas pay an additional one-cent sales tax, which pays for beautification and additional security. There is a strong police presence in the area. 

There is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Cumberland River downtown and recently, some people were violently assaulted on that bridge by armed assailants. The attackers and the attacked did not know each other. This is the kind of attack that makes people feel unsafe. Considering that 17 million people visit Nashville each year, one is more likely to be hit by someone throwing a chair off of a rooftop bar than being assaulted, however.

Last September, a triple homicide occurred on Bart Drive in the Antioch community. In addition to the victims in the home, an innocent passerby on a bicycle was wounded. This is the kind of crime that scares people. I know someone who lives next door to where the murders occurred. What if she had been hit by a stray bullet? What if one of the victims had run to her house for refuge and the attackers had followed?

These murders were not random. The victims were identified as Antonio Munoz-Rizo (48), his son Jesus Manuel Munoz-Morales (28), and Jesus Gallardo-Ramirez (22), all with connections to the Atlanta area. The incident was believed to be related to a Hispanic prostitution operation. All of the attackers were Hispanic. It is these types of incidents that build anti-immigrant bias.

One could easily have a perception that a lot of our crime is committed by Hispanics. The local statistics do not support that. A lot of news reports of violent crime show both perpetrators and victims to be Hispanic. Even if it was true that we have an illegal immigrant crime problem, it only affects me if I am caught in the crossfire of a shootout. I am not Hispanic and I am not involved in crime.

Some of the violent crime in Nashville is domestic violence. While that is terrible, it does not affect me and does not make me feel less safe living in Nashville. It seems most of the victims and perpetrators of violent crime know each other.  

There are things we could be doing better regarding the allocation of police forces, and our police department is undermanned. Despite that, crime is coming down in Nashville as it is in many other major cities. Actually, crime is lower now than in 1997, yet we have experienced a significant increase in population and tourism. Like I said at the start of this essay, I do not feel unsafe living in Nashville. I suspect people in Memphis feel the same way. Don't hang out with criminals and avoid certain parts of town, and you have little to fear.

Don't be afraid to visit Nashville. You are safe here. If you live in Nashville, don't be afraid to take a walk or visit the parks, or go out to a fine meal or a sporting event or enjoy live music.  Don't cower in fear. Nashville is not a violent hellhole. 

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TN-07 Candidate Lee Reeves Gets Major Endorcements

TN-7 Candidate Lee Reeves Picks Up Notable Endorsements from Tennessee Republican Leaders

Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson

by Kaitlin Housler, Tennessee Star, September 8, 2025 - Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), and former Davidson County Republican Party Chairman Lonnie Spivak endorsed State Representative Lee Reeves’ (R-Franklin) campaign for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District on Monday.

Johnson, who resides in and represents part of the 7th District in the State Senate, cited his work with Reeves in the Tennessee General Assembly during the most recent legislative session in endorsing his congressional campaign.

“Having worked closely with Lee to pass significant legislation that upholds our conservative values, fights illegal immigration, and protects the right to vote for the Military and First Responders, I know firsthand his dedication to the people of Tennessee. Lee’s commitment to faith, family, lower taxes, secure borders, and protecting our constitutional rights makes him the right choice to represent our values in Washington,” Johnson said in a statement. (link)

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Statement from Mayor Jacobs: 

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs

I wholeheartedly endorse my good friend, Lee Reeves, for Congress in the race for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. President Trump is calling the plays and I know that Lee Reeves will be a great and loyal America First teammate.

 As a state representative, Lee Reeves passed a law that took driver’s licenses away from illegal aliens. In Congress, he will stand with @realDonaldTrump  in the fight to end illegal immigration permanently by ending the Illegal Alien Birthright Citizenship Loophole and Defunding Sanctuary Cities.

 Lee Reeves will also be a champion of fiscal conservatism, fighting to end wasteful spending, eliminating budget deficits, and working to pay down the national debt. I urge the citizens of the 7th Congressional District to vote for him on October 7th.

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A Dispatch from Friday's District 7 Debate

By Jerod Ra'Del Hollyfield, The Phampleteer, Sept. 8, 2025- Despite the infighting and accusations of falsified MAGA bona fides, the Republican candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep.Mark Green during November’s election have remained fairly interchangeable to Tennessee voters. Thus far, most polls show no candidate breaking away. However, if Friday night’s Republican candidate debate sponsored by The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and SuperTalk 99.7 was any indication, Rep. Jody Barrett may soon find himself the frontrunner.

Matt Van Epps

Held at Nashville’s Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom with “top-tier” candidates Barrrett, Gino Bulso, Matt Van Epps, and Lee Reeves front and center, the debate served as a breezy and efficient alternative to the national and local slogs that political junkies are so used to seeing. SuperTalk host Matt Murphy and Americans for Prosperity’s state deputy director Michael Lotfi crafted a list of compelling questions that sought to differentiate the candidates and spark discussions about a cogent America First platform.  

Much of the event’s success was likely due to organizers’ decision to eliminate rebuttals and prohibit candidates from name checking each other, a rule that forced Bulso to sit out a question on AI and the economy

Rep. Jody Barrett

when he called out Van Epps for proclaiming himself the race’s “number one supporter of Israel.”

Despite the occasional personality clashes, only Barrett came away as a distinct and decisive candidate. When the moderators asked the straightforward question of how the candidates' opinions differed from Donald Trump, everyone else simply claimed that they were 100% aligned with the Commander in Chief. On everything…

While much of this groupthink was largely due to the race’s comical hyperfocus on RINOism, the result was that Barrett’s straightforward criticism of Trump’s role in Operation Warp Speed and COVID’s infringement on Americans’ rights made him look the type of watchdog that won’t toe a party line when faced with an administration that hasn’t proven itself as uncompromising as advertised. 

Rep. Gino Bulso

However, each candidate did land at least one hit. Army special ops Air Mission Commander Van Epps’s firsthand experience with the VA made all other answers to the questions about proper veteran health care and Ft. Campbell pale in comparison while Bulso’s intimate knowledge of the First Amendment and flag burning showed his prowess as a legal scholar. Reeves’s strongest moment came when he maligned the federal bureaucracy who, “Read into law things that aren’t there,” in response to a question about executive overreach. 

No candidate dealt any deathblows or made unrecoverable faux pas. Still, the cringiest moment of the night occurred when Van Epps turned the moderators’ request for the candidates to say something they admire about each other into an opportunity to remind the audience that he was the only top-tier candidate who wasn’t an attorney. 

As a political newbie, Van Epps has built his entire ethos on military service and outsider status. But he

Lee Reeves

also lacks the Trumpian bravado that makes such transgressions of decorum work, especially since his professed love of vanilla ice cream and Luke Combs when responding to the moderators’ palette-cleansing questions seemed like the words of malfunctioning AI, not a badass who flew Apaches on the reg.

Even if Van Epps proved not quite ready for primetime despite his impressive military credentials, all four candidates cemented their approach to the office. Bulso established himself as a bookish, risk-averse policy wonk whose proclamation that his idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon would consist of reading the Constitution was the event’s second biggest eye-roller. Reeves carved out a niche for himself as an innocuous choice, a suburban Republican dad who would “follow Trump’s lead,” but was still well-versed on the issues enough to go deeper than the average political rant before the big HOA meeting.

But, in the end, Barrett’s combination of warmth and tenacity won the night. No one sounded more human and in touch with voters than Barrett rattling off the problems plaguing the district’s rural voters. As he said in his closing statement, his job is, “To say what you would say if you were in that chair.” By the end of the debate, he was the only candidate I wanted to hear say anything more–even if all four proved a worthy enough successor to Green.

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Nashville Experiences Major Reduction in Crime Compared to Same Time Last year

 

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Ogles Fights with Protesters, Threatens to ‘Punch Mayor O’Connell in the Nose’ with National Guard Threats

by Sarah Grace Taylor, Nashville Banner, September 8, 2025 - At a rare local event in Spring Hill on Saturday, Rep. Andy Ogles came looking for a fight. 

After multiple screaming altercations with protesters and constituents — who were barred from the event and removed from the property by police — Ogles took questions at an Americans for Prosperity event called “One Big Beautiful Breakfast,” where the congressman was set to discuss the controversial Republican spending bill passed by Congress this summer.

Ogles defended the bill, his efforts to amend the Constitution and allow President Donald Trump a third term and inexplicably said that blue states were spending money on “housing for gay frogs,” when discussing appropriation bills. ... “I have a job to do. I defend the president’s agenda. I’m very close to the president, and I’m not going to back off,” Ogles said.

The particular piece of Trump’s agenda most discussed by Ogles and his critics was the use of the National Guard in domestic policing, which the president has done in Washington, D.C. and threatened to do in other Democratic cities. While Tennessee has several hundred troops in D.C., Ogles has called for the guard to address crime in Memphis and Nashville. 

“If Freddie O’Connell wants to be a man, he wants to defend his city, he wants to stand up for these people, then I’ll stand right there with him,” Ogles said. “But until he does, I’m gonna keep punching him in the nose.” 

“Politically speaking,” Ogles added after a pause.  

... “So instead of Freddie O’Connell hindering ICE agents, fantasizing about me and giving speeches, he should secure his dadgum city, or I will personally call the president and ask him to bring the National Guard in,” Ogles said.

... “If the president were to call and say, ‘Hey Ogles, what do you think?’ I would say, ‘Mr. President, obviously, when you look at statistics, when you look at data, it is a more dire situation in Memphis. But if we could spare the resources, I think Nashville would benefit from it, too,’” Ogles said. “So again, just follow facts.” 

Ogles then said he would only call for the National Guard “if Freddie O’Connell doesn’t do his job.” 

.... “I understand that this is a congressman who is himself under investigation and seems to be showing off for the president so he can get a pardon,” the mayor added, calling some of Ogles’ claims about crime “absurd” and noting that the Congressman does not live or have an office in Nashville.  (Read more)

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Congressional candidate slams poll showing four-way tie

 

Rep. Lee Reeves, to the left of U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, at podium, and Rep. Gino Bulso,
right of Ogles, are tied in one poll for the GOP nomination in Congressional District 7.
(Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

by Sam Stockard, Tennesee Lookout, August 29, 2025 - The special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District seat is heating up – or turning weird – depending on your perspective.

Responding to a poll this week that proclaimed a four-way tie in the crowded Republican primary, state Rep. Lee Reeves’ congressional campaign issued a statement calling the Spry Strategies survey a “totally fake ‘poll’ with less credibility than the Robert Mueller Report and the Steele Dossier,” referring to allegations of Trump-Russia connections a decade ago. 

Reeves’ group further said it was run by a “fake Never Trumper firm” connected to former House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, both of whom were convicted this year on federal corruption charges.

Reeves’ campaign sent out the missive after the conservative advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee, released polling results showing Reeves and state Rep. Gino Bulson tied with 19.9% each, Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson with 18.6% and former General Services Commissioner Matt Van Epps at 15.9%. All were within the 4.4% margin of error for the survey conducted from Aug. 19-23 for the 7th District race to replace former U.S. Rep. Mark Green.

While Reeves’ people were belly-aching, Bulso’s campaign claimed he “surged” into a tie for first in the AFP poll after entering the race just weeks ago, enabling him to take part in an upcoming debate.

Both candidates claim to be the one most capable of carrying out President Donald Trump’s agenda. In fact, every Republican candidate in the country is saying the same thing.

Bulso, who spends most of his energy driving a stake into the heart of the LGBTQ+ community, said he gained momentum from endorsements by state Rep. Jay Reedy and NASCAR Hall of Fame racer Darrell Waltrip.

Barrett, the target of a dark money group called the School Freedom Fund over opposition to private-school vouchers, also is promising to “stand with President Trump and fight the liberal elites trying to destroy our way of life.” He touts himself as Tennessee’s first lawmaker to earn a “perfect conservative voting record” on a report connected to Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands and posts a picture of himself with country music star John Rich, an ultra-conservative voice on state issues.

Van Epps, a West Point graduate who served multiple tours of duty, received the endorsement of Green, also a West Point guy who served as an Army physician and interviewed captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

It should be noted that Spry Strategies touts a 93.7% accuracy rate within margins of error and 94.5% rate in predicting key primary and general election outcomes. The firm also posts a testimonial on its site saying its services are “essential” to Tennessee’s House Republican Caucus and Speaker Cameron Sexton.

Wait a second. Hold on a minute. Isn’t Reeves a member of that caucus? Don’t they hang on AFP’s every word?

Oh well, this election wouldn’t be any fun if candidates weren’t beating each other over the head.

In the Democrats’ column, state Rep. Vincent Dixie of Nashville landed an endorsement this week from Square One, which looks for “the most promising” people of color, women and LGBTQ+ community to run for Congress in red districts and states.

State Rep. Bo Mitchell of Nashville touted endorsements by four unions, including Teamsters Local 480, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 572, Iron Workers Local 492 and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 129.

State Rep. Aftyn Behn of East Nashville landed an endorsement from Indivisible Tennessee, a grassroots organization that focuses on progressive issues.

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Riley Gaines' father enters Tennessee congressional race

By Kim Jarrett, Center Square,  Aug 29, 2025 - Riley Gaines' father is entering the political arena with run for a Tennessee congressional seat.

Brad Gaines is seeking the Sixth District congressional seat, which is currently occupied by John Rose, who is running for governor.

Gaines will face four Republicans in the 2026 primary. Johnny Garrett is a current member of the Tennessee House. William Van Hilleary is a former U.S. congressman who served as Rose's chief of staff. Ronnie Dale Braden is an Army veteran who has worked in multiple industries. Joe Reid is a Crossville businessman.

Gaines filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission earlier this week and has a one-page website. He touts his history as a football player in high school and at Vanderbilt University. The website does not list a platform.

Riley Gaines is a former University of Kentucky swimmer who competed in the 2022 NCAA Championships in Atlanta.

She lost the competition to a University of Pennsylvania swimmer who previously spent three years on the men's team. Riley Gaines has lobbied for bills in several states that would prevent transgender females from competing in women's sports.

Georgia lawmakers passed the Riley Gaines Act, which bars males and females from competing on teams designated for the opposite gender. It also requires restrooms and changing areas that can be used by more than one student to be limited to one gender.

One Democrat, Mike Croley, has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. Unaffiliated candidate Christopher Brian Monday has also filed.

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TN-07 Congressional candidates pledge loyalty to Trump

By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, Sep 6, 2025 – Four of the 11 candidates hoping to take the 7th Congressional District seat all claimed their goal was to advance President Donald Trump's agenda if elected.

State Reps. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, and Lee Reeves, R-Franklin, participated in the debate along with Matt Van Epps, the former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services. The debate, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity's Tennessee chapter, included only candidates who had raised $250,000.

The candidates were asked what issue they differed on with Trump.

"I wish he spent more time at West Point than Annapolis," said Van Epps, a graduate of West Point.

"I think an area we need to continue to dive into is spending control," he said. "Our national debt is a national security issue, that's a real challenge."

Bulso also gave a light-hearted answer at first, saying their difference is that Trump spends a lot of time on the golf course and he prefers to spend time on the tennis court.

"I think Trump is a generational leader, unlike we have ever seen before," Bulso said. "I don't disagree with President Trump on anything."

Reeve also did not indicate any policy differences with Trump.

"We need someone who is going to fight and scratch to get his agenda done," Reeves said. "I am the only candidate on this stage that has supported President Trump, fully, since 2016. And I will continue to do so in Washington, D.C."

Barrett said he feels differently about Operation Warp Speed, a Trump-led initiative that expedited COVID-19 vaccines in 2020.

"I think it's impossible to go around the 7th District or anywhere in Tennessee, really anywhere in the United States, and find many folks who now think Operation Warp Speed was a real success," Barrett said. "It's easy to Monday morning quarterback and look back, now upon facts and things we know about COVID and about the vaccines, but anytime the government the government is stepping in on top of your individual rights and executing policies that are putting all of us in danger – we have millions of Americans now who are vaccine injured, dealing with the results of this vaccine mandate."

Three of the candidates said they supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but were concerned about increasing the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

"We are already passing on to our children and grandchildren a deficit that exceeds a number anyone on either side of the aisle would find to be reasonable," Bulso said. "We're spending $1 trillion a year in interest servicing that debt which is more than we spend on any federal program other than Social Security."

Barrett said he was also concerned about the increase in the debt ceiling.

"That's something that we've seen for many years," Barrett said. "We've been operating outside of normal order for probably 30 years, since the last time we passed the budget, since the last time we balanced the budget. It's a multi-pronged problem and we are not going to be able to grow our way out of it and we're not going to be able to cut ours spending enough to get out of it. It's going to take many, many things on both ends of that spectrum and changes in the way that we do business."

Reeves called the debt ceiling increase "regretful."

"We do know that we have to grow our way out as well as cut wasteful spending and get out of the things that the federal government should not be in," Reeves said. "We know that both of those things are true."

Van Epps said there were many things he liked in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including investing in nuclear power and getting rid of the Green New Deal.

"I am pro-oil and natural gas and pro-nuclear," Van Epps said. "Tennessee is leading in nuclear technology and that's really exciting."

The Republican primary is Oct. 7, and the general election is Dec. 2. Early voting in the primary begins Sept. 17. The district covers 14 counties in middle Tennessee.

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