Who's Running for What

by Rod Williams, July 16, 2026 - I was preparing to compile a post on the topic of 'who's running for what," but then came across an excellent post from the Pamphleteer on the topic and am reposting it here. Their article is much better than what I would have had the time to compile.

I try to be respectful of copyrighted material, but sometime back I asked the Editor in Chief if I could, on occasion, repost Pamphleteer articles and was given verbal permission. The pamphleteer is an excellent publication with a small staff, focusing on Nashville arts, culture, and politics. If you are not familiar with the publication, please check it out at this link and consider becoming a subscriber. It is important to support quality, independent journalism. Here is the article:

Who's Running for What

By The Pamphleteer, Newsletter • 16 Jul 2026 - Early primary voting kicks off tomorrow. The GOP primary for governor has grabbed all the headlines, but contests for the GOP spot in the 6th Congressional District, the Democrat spot in the 7th Congressional District, and the Democrat spot in House District 59 are also worth monitoring.

Noticeably absent from any Davidson County ballot is the District 5 race. Nashville is now split between Congressional Districts 4, 6, and 7. Early voting and sample ballot information is available on the Davidson County Election Commission website. Use your address to find your new congressional district here.

A breezy look through the races follows with fundraising totals for the candidates in competitive races. If you want to dig deeper into candidate funding, Who Funds Tennessee is an excellent resource.

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Governor 
Though the Democratic side of the ticket is crowded, the real contest is unfolding on the Republican side of the ticket. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn entered the race as the clear frontrunner, but a few late-campaign missteps has given Republican challengers U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts an opening to close the gap.

John Rose (R): $10,876,559 raised; heavily self-funded
Marsha Blackburn (R): $9,541,518 raised; significant out-of-state contributions
Monty Fritts (R): $281,860 raised; distant third

Campaign finance records show that PACs have spent more than $2.5 million supporting Blackburn. The D.C.-based Tennessee Freedom Fund PAC raised $4.6 million from April to June to target Rose.

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U.S. Senate 
The only competition in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate primary race is on the Democratic ticket. Sitting Senator Bill Hagerty is enjoying an uncontested primary run and is highly favored in November’s general election.

Meanwhile, a slew of challengers will be duking it out for the Democratic nod over the next month. That said, the campaign finance disclosures show just how unserious Hagerty’s competition is.

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U.S. House District 4
 Incumbent Congressman Scott DesJarlais is the clear favorite in the new 4th Congressional District GOP primary. The district remains heavily Republican, making the GOP primary the real contest, but he faces a well-funded challenger on the Democratic side in Metro Councilmember Mike Cortese. Cortese is battling it out with Victoria Broderick—who previously ran for the 4th District in 2024—alongside a few other underdogs.  

Scott DesJarlais (R, incumbent) $523,391 raised; 81% from out of state
Mike Cortese (D)  $706,113 raised; best-funded in the race

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U.S. House District 6 
A contentious primary race is cooking up for Congressman John Rose’s open seat in District 6. State Representative Johnny Garrett and former TN-4 U.S. representative Van Hilleary are the top Republican candidates in pursuit of the nomination, with underdog Jon Henry a distant third on the fundraising front.

Johnny Garrett (R): $2.2 million raised
Van Hilleary (R): $1.5 million raised
Jon Henry (R): $67 thousand raised

Chaney Mosley, Mike Croley, and Lore Bergman—who has previously challenged Rose as the Democratic nominee for this congressional district—look to be the most competitive Democratic candidates in this race.

Though the new TN-6 lines make it somewhat less Republican-leaning than the previous version of the district, it is still a Republican-favored seat.

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U.S. House District 7 
Congressman Matt Van Epps, who recently tasted victory after winning the special 7th District congressional election to replace Mark Green last year, faces no competition in the Republican primaries.

On the Democratic ticket, likely frontrunners are Darden Copeland—who is the strongest fundraiser on the ticket—and state Representative Vincent Dixie—an elected official with strong grassroots support. 

Darden Copeland (D) $677,614 raised; 53% from out of state
Vincent Dixie (D) $218,197 raised

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State Senate 
The only contested state senate race on the Davidson County ballot is District 17. Newcomer Theodore (Butch) Baker has an uphill battle against incumbent state Senator Mark Pody for the Republican nomination. Only two Democrats are competing for the primary nod: Joni Cochran and Lindsey Patrick-Wright.

Mark Pody (R, incumbent) $674,051 raised
Butch Baker (R) $46,430 raised
Joni Cochran (D) $88,166 raised
Lindsey Patrick-Wright (D) $44,732 raised

Tennessee Senate District 19 incumbent Charlane Oliver and District 21 incumbent Jeff Yarbro are both uncontested.

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State House 

The only competitive House seat primary is on the Democratic side of the ticket in state Rep. Caleb Hemmer’s vacated District 59 seat. A crowded field finds Rick Ewing, husband of councilmember Sandy Ewing, attorney Angie Lawless, former THP Mark Proctor, and nonprofit executive Beth West duking it out for the opportunity to take on uncontested Republican nominee Bill Hancock in November.

Mark Proctor (D) $171,515 raised; top D59 Dem. fundraiser
Angie Lawless (D) $121,200 raised; 43% self-funded
Rick Ewing (D) $82,886 raised
Beth West (D) $65,558 raised
Bill Hancock (R) $225,251 raised; sitting on ~$205K cash for November

In Districts 52, 55, and 60, both the Republican candidate and the Democrat candidate will advance uncontested. Republicans don’t have challengers in House Districts 50 (Bo Mitchell), 51 (Aftyn Behn), 53 (Jason Powell), 56 (Bob Freeman), and 58 (Harold M. Love, Jr.).

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County General Elections

You’ll also find a number of uncompetitive county general election races on your ballot, including judgeships, school board members, and the sheriff. Given the Republican Party’s lack of candidates during May’s primaries, all candidates are uncontested.

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Reflecting Pool Peeling Likely Caused by Application Flaws, Experts Say

by Rod Williams, July 17, 2026- There are some Trumpanistas who believe anything Trump says. If Trump says the election was stolen, they believe it. Trump says the Haitians are eating the cats and dogs, and they believe it. Mexico will pay for the wall; sure, they will. It is the exporting country that pays the tariffs; if Trump says it, it has got to be true. No Trump lie is too big or too bizarre for these Trump supporters to believe. Of course, this does not apply to all Trump followers. Some see Trump for what he is, but still think that Trump, with all of his flaws, is the better alternative. I don't feel that way, but I can conceptually understand the reasoning. 

When the reflecting pool started peeling, Trump started looking for a villain. One maxim of Trumpism is never to admit a mistake under any circumstances. Always find an enemy to blame. Trump said the problem with the reflecting pool was vandals. Trump said someone with a knife or a box cutter got in the water and cut a 250-foot slash down the length of the pool. When tourists started picking up pieces of the peeling liner floating in the reflecting pool, Trump had them arrested as vandals.

While Trump has not and will not admit that the problem with the reflecting pool was shoddy workmanship performed by the inexperienced Trump pool guy, who got a $14.7 million no-bid contract, that appears to be the cause of the problem.

The Washington Post has investigated the Reflecting Pool issue, bringing in experts who often testify in court cases relating to disputes involving swimming pools.  The Washington Post story looks at where the failures occurred, and experts explain why. This is a lengthy article and gets pretty detailed, but it is well worth reading for anyone who wants to understand what happened. Below are some excerpts from the article. 

... Post reporters visited the Reflecting Pool on June 25 and identified seven locations where the lining — a waterproof membrane that was painted onto the concrete basin — had partially or entirely peeled away. The peeling occurred in irregularly shaped patches that stretched alongside the long edges of the pool. The pieces ranged in size from a few inches to as long as six feet. In one case, the concrete was visible underneath. ...

By comparing the seven locations with satellite imagery, photos and videos taken during the renovation process, the analysis found that all of the failures occurred at the seams — lines between two areas that were painted at different times.

... Four experts in waterproofing materials — who have decades of experience and have served as educators and expert witnesses in pool-related construction lawsuits — reviewed The Post’s findings and said the failure pattern strongly suggested errors in the application process. They said that while a precise cause cannot be determined without on-site examination and lab testing, such seams require careful attention and are especially prone to failure.

... In five of the spots, the dark blue Pipeliner 5000 coating had peeled off to reveal more of the same material. Experts said this appears consistent with an adhesion failure caused by an overlap of the dark blue over a dried layer of the same material at the seams. For any overlapping Pipeliner 5000 to adhere, the underlying layer would need to still be wet or, if not, steps would need to be taken to prepare the surface.

To read it all, follow this link. 

 

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Marsha Blackburn Thinks Tennessee Has a Payroll Tax. What??

by Rod Williams, July 15, 2026- What is wrong with Marsha Blackburn? In defending the $30 million subsidy for Starbucks to entice it to relocate to Tennessee, Marsha says the money will be recouped through payroll taxes in the first six months. What?? Tennessee does not have an income tax nor a payroll tax. The difference between a payroll tax and an income tax is that a payroll tax is taken from an employee's taxable compensation, while an income tax is a tax on a person or family's total household income.  FICA taxes, which are withheld from your paycheck and used to fund Social Security and Medicare is a payroll tax. An income tax is a tax paid by an individual based on total household income. While they differ, they are both taxes on income. Tennessee has neither. A payroll tax was once considered and rejected way back during the Sunquest administration. Marsha Blackburn was instrumental in defeating the State income tax proposal. Surely, she knows Tennessee does not have a payroll tax. 

Does Marsh really think Tennessee has a payroll tax? Watch the above video to see her say what I just said she said. Go to time stamp 4:50.

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Tennessee is the Worst State to Live in, in the Country, if You Are Liberal

by Rod Williams, July 14, 2026- When I first heard that some entity had listed Tennessee as the worst state to live in, in America, I was surprised and skeptical. After all, Tennessee is one of the states to which a lot of California refugees are fleeing. 

Tennessee ranked 5th among U.S. states for net gain of one-way U-Haul customers in 2025, behind Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Visual Capitalist says Tennessee ranks number 5 as the state destination for movers. If Tennessee is the worst state in the nation, why are so many people moving here?

Tennessee was ranked No. 4 in Consumer Affairs' affordability ranking. The Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Tennessee 17th in economic strength. If keeping more of your own money is an important consideration for you, the Tax Foundation ranks Tennessee third for the lowest state and local tax burden.

Tennessee does rank low by some other entities doing rankings. America's Dashboard ranks Tennessee 36th. US News and World Report ranks Tennessee 32nd. Consumer Affairs ranks Tennessee 38th in its list of best states to move to. 

It was CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel) that ranked Tennessee the worst state in the U.S. for quality of life. If you want to learn more about why Tennessee ranked so low, follow this link. 

While I am embarrassed by some of the laws Tennessee has passed recently and embarrassed by some of our elected officials, and wish Memphis did not keep pushing our crime rate up, those things are not what define our state. We have some of the most beautiful natural wonders of anywhere in the country, and the music and charm of Tennessee are unmatched. Tennessee is a great place to live. However, if the CNBC criteria are what is most important to you, then by all means, Tennessee is not for you, so don't move here.

As the Pamphleteer put it, the reasons states wind up on this worst of list are these.

1. Not enough abortions

2. Not gay enough

3. "food insecurity"

4. Not enough HR rules

5. Not enough gun laws

6. Not enough therapists

7. Not enough working moms

8. Not enough affirmative action

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NewsChannel 5 Cancels GOP Gubernatorial Debate After Blackburn and Rose Opt Out

by Michelle Bonnett, WTVF, July 14, 2026 - Senator Marsha Blackburn declined NewsChannel 5's
invitation to take part in a GOP Gubernatorial debate on Monday, July 20th. The debate was set to take place at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Blackburn campaign manager Abigail Sigler told us, "Senator Blackburn has votes scheduled in the Senate that evening."

NewsChannel 5 asked if there was another date that would work better for the Senator's schedule, but we have not heard back.

Now, Congressman John Rose has decided not to take part. His campaign said he wouldn't participate without Senator Blackburn. (read more)

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