The campaign of former Brigadier General Kurt Winstead, a Republican candidate in the August 4 primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, announced an endorsement by a woke union, IAFF Local 4381 Columbia Firefighters Association on Tuesday.
IAFF Local 4381 Columbia Firefighters Association honored and celebrated “Pride Month” by changing its profile photo on social media to the now commonly recognized “LGBTQ Pride” rainbow colors on June 1.
The Winstead campaign sent out a press statement on Tuesday touting the woke union’s endorsement.
“After General Winstead’s performance at the Maury County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner & Debate, it’s clear that he is best suited to represent Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District in Congress. He has a long track record of supporting first-responders, veterans, and the greater community. We are honored to endorse him in his bid to represent us,” said Joey Norman, PAC chairman of Local 4381.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Columbia Firefighters Association. Being a first responder is imperative to our lives, and it’s clear that they want to be represented by a political outsider who will put service over self, just like they do every day. I will always be supportive of our first responders,” said General Winstead in the statement.
According to his campaign, “Kurt Winstead is an eighth-generation Tennessean and was raised in a home of educators and farmers. He served for more than 30 years in the Tennessee Army National Guard, including Director of the Joint Staff, Tennessee’s Staff Judge Advocate, and Brigade Command Judge Advocate during Operation Iraqi Freedom III.”
Winstead is a graduate of Centre College and received a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. He also holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. Kurt and his wife Beth attend St. Matthew Church in Franklin. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters raised and educated in Williamson County.
Winstead is a first-time candidate for political office. He is one of nine candidates in the Republican primary running for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
This is not Winstead’s first brush with controversy during this campaign.
His most recent comments on the firings of Tennessee National Guard soldiers due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate created strong feelings of outrage amongst the ranks of guardsmen.
One National Guard member who heard the comments exclaimed to The Tennessee Star, “What a crock of [expletive]! Winstead knows better. Winstead knows that Governor Lee can ask the AG Slatery to sue the federal government. He also knows better than most that Lee is the commander-in-chief of the Tennessee National Guard. He knows that Governor Lee has several options he can pursue. If the former general cared about the soldiers instead of trying to get yet another government salary, he’d have said so.”
Another guardsman told The Star, “The former General has abandoned the men and women he served with. He couldn’t even be bothered to show up in support of the guardsmen who are losing their jobs at the event on Wednesday. He’s probably cozying up to Governor Lee in the hopes of an endorsement for his campaign. It is just sad. Winstead is an abject disappointment.”
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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, Truth Social, and Parler.
Photo “Kurt Winstead” by Kurt Winstead for Congress. Background Photo “Fire Truck” by IAFF Local 4381 Columbia Firefighters Association.
