Former Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell may be nearing a decision on whether to run for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district seat.
Speaker Harwell told The Tennessee Star that she’s still considering whether to run. “I’m in the process of doing that right now.”
Harwell said that she has three factors in mind when considering a congressional bid. “One, you need to talk to people in the district and see what they want from their U.S. Representative in Congress. Two, you need to make sure your base of political and financial support is in place.”
The third factor, according to Harwell, is when to start a campaign. “They all start too early and last too long,” Harwell said, noting that with an August primary election, February is early in the cycle for voters to become invested in the race.
Speaker Harwell said her plan is to “ease along here and look to see how things develop, and make the decision from there.”
The Columbia Daily Herald first reported that Harwell was in attendance at the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance annual State Eggs & Issues breakfast at the county Memorial Building. At the event, the Herald asked Harwell about her intentions regarding the TN-5 race. She told the Herald, “I am just exploring it and doing things like this,” she said. “It’s really important for people to know that I am connected to the community and am involved.”
“This is a newly-created district that I think deserves good representation.” Harwell said. “I think I know the area well.”
Harwell, a Tennessee resident for more than thirty years, was the first woman to serve as the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, a feat she accomplished in 2011. She served as Speaker until 2018, when she ran for governor, ultimately losing in the GOP primary to Governor Bill Lee.
In addition to Harwell, Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, a Tennessee native, is considering whether to jump into the already crowded Tennessee Republican primary field for the 5th Congressional district seat.
Newly registered to vote in Tennessee and former Trump Administration State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus, recent California transplant and music video director Robby Starbuck, businessman Baxter Lee, former Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead, and Natisha Brooks are the publicly known candidates in the GOP primary.
Several individuals are also collecting petitions for the GOP primary, including Geni Batchelor of Lebanon, former Williamson County GOP Chair Omar Hamada of Franklin, Timothy Bruce Lee of Nashville, Annabelle Lee of Madison, Alan Clement Sharp of Nashville, and David Vitalli of Brentwood. Hamada has told The Star that he is making his official decision on whether to run in the near future.
The new 5th Congressional district contains parts of Davidson, parts of Wilson, parts of Williamson, all of Marshall, Maury, and Lewis counties.
Candidates have until noon on April 7 to turn in qualifying petitions for the August 4 Republican primary.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Beth Harwell” by Beth Harwell.
