State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) is effectively the Democrat nominee in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Two candidates submitted qualifying petitions signatures to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, Campbell and Justicia Rizzo. The Secretary of State’s office lists on Campbell’s petitions signatures as approved.
Rizzo’s petitions signatures are listed as rejected because her campaign “Did Not Timely File with Party.”
Campbell also has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission establishing her as a candidate for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. Finance reports are required to be filed with the FEC by April 15 and they will be available for public inspection shortly thereafter.
Democrat political consultant Chip Forrester is listed as her campaign treasurer.
Campbell, the former mayor of Oak Hill in Davidson County, was first elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2020. She defeated then-incumbent Republican State Senator Steve Dickerson.
Her website says, “I was elected in November of 2020 to represent District 20 in the Tennessee State Senate. Since that time, I’ve been an outspoken advocate for science, the LGBTQ community, public education, local control, women’s and kids’ issues, Medicaid expansion, and the environment.”
Campbell faces an uphill battle in her quest to represent TN-5 in the U.S. House. Prior to redistricting, Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight gave TN-5 a partisan rating of D+17. It now gives it a R+15 rating.
Campbell will take on the Republican nominee in the November general election. The Republican party will decide their TN-5 nominee on August 4. Barring a court injunction, the GOP primary ballot is scheduled to be finalized on April 21.
The Cook Political Report gives the race a “Solid Republican” rating.
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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, Twitter, and Parler.
Photo “Heidi Campbell” by Tennessee General Assembly. Background Photo “United States Capitol” by National Park Service.
