Tennessee State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) announced Friday that he is running for Nashville Mayor.
I’m all in to serve as the next Mayor of Nashville! Join us. https://t.co/42y9QsMZGZ
— Jeff Yarbro (@yarbro) February 17, 2023
Yarbro is looking to succeed Mayor John Cooper, who announced last month that he would not seek re-election for a second term, The Tennessee Star previously reported.
Yarbro first became a state senator in 2014. Until 2023, he has served as the State Senate minority leader since 2018.
In his campaign announcement, Yarbro touted his accomplishments as a state senator, specifically his work to expand affordable housing, expand childcare options and affordability, provide resources to homeless youth, and prohibit wage discrimination against those with disabilities.
“Sometimes it feels like our city doesn’t make those who live here the top priority. We see new stadiums, skyscrapers, and restaurants, but none of that matters unless Nashville is a great place to live and people can actually afford to live here,” Yarbro wrote on his campaign website.
The state senator also boasted about standing up to “extremists in the legislature” during his time in the General Assembly, adding, “you can trust that’s exactly what I’ll do as Mayor.”
Yarbro joins a growing field of candidates that have entered the race for mayor.
So far, including Yarbro, six candidates are running for mayor: Metro Council Member-at-Large Sharon Hurt, Metro Council Member Freddie O’Connell, former congressional candidate Natisha Brooks, former Nashville Economic and Community Development director Matt Wiltshire, and former chief operating officer of AllianceBernstein Jim Gingrich.
The 2023 Nashville mayoral election will be held on August 3, with a runoff on September 14, if necessary. Voter registration ends on July 5, with early voting beginning on July 14. The last day to request an absentee ballot is July 27.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Jeff Yarbro” by State Sen. Jeff Yarbro. Background Photo “Davidson County Courthouse” by euthman. CC BY-SA 2.0.
