Twenty-two individuals are now listed by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office as collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
There are 14 Republicans, four Democrats, and four independents collecting qualifying petitions for the TN-5 race.
On the Republican side, carpetbagger and D.C. insider Morgan Ortagus is the latest to begin collecting qualifying petitions. Previously listed are former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell of Nashville, businessman Baxter Lee of Nashville, Robby Starbuck of Franklin (listed as Robert Starbuck Newsom), Geni Batchelor of Lebanon, Natisha Brooks of Nashville, Timothy Bruce Lee of Nashville, Annabelle Lee of Madison, Alan Clement Sharp of Nashville, David Vitalli of Brentwood, Stewart Parks of Nashville, Richie Lee of Nashville, General Kurt Winstead of Franklin, and Tres Wittum of Nashville.
Former Williamson County GOP Chair Omar Hamada of Franklin is still listed as collecting petitions, which would make the number fifteen, but he has dropped out of the race and endorsed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles for the TN-5 seat.
Records show that Harwell, Starbuck, Brooks, Baxter Lee, Ortagus, Winstead, Batchelor, Timothy Bruce Lee, and Vitalli have also filed candidate paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Starbuck has raised $255,066.53 and has $138,741.16 on hand, while Brooks has raised $24,517.00 and has $19,655.34 on hand. The rest filed their paperwork after the year-end December 31, 2021 deadline. The 2022 first quarter January 1-March 31 financial reports are scheduled to be released in mid-April. Observers of the TN-5 race are likely to get a much clearer picture of the financial strength of the field at that time.
On the Democrat side, Clay Faircloth, Richard H. Harris, Justicia Rizzo, and Joel Michael Hurbert, all from Nashville, are collecting petitions.
Derrick Brantley of Nashville, Patrick O. Halfacre of Hohenwald, Daniel J. Cooper of Spring Hill, and Richard A. Shannon of Franklin are the independents collecting petitions. Shannon appeared on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. Brantley appears to be the only one of the four to have filed documents with the FEC.
Candidates must collect 25 valid signatures from registered voters and must be verified as bona fide Republicans by the Tennessee Republican Party in order to appear on the GOP primary ballot. Candidates of all parties have until noon on April 7 to turn in those qualifying petitions.
The primaries are scheduled for August 4 and the 5th Congressional District consists of parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, and all of Maury, Marshall, and Lewis counties.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles, photo “Beth Harwell” by Beth Harwell, photo “Robby Starbuck” by Robby Starbuck, photo “Geni Batchelor” by Geni Batchelor, photo “Natisha Brooks” by Natisha Brooks, and photo “Morgan Ortagus” by U.S. Department of State.
