Davidson County Democrats Invest Heavily in Contested School Board Elections
Image Credit: Michael Rivera / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Last week, members of the Davidson County Democratic Party voted to spend $70,000 to support four Democrats in highly contested school board races. This amount is almost as high as the amount spent by all of the candidates from all parties so far in this election.
The race is on with early voting in Davidson County’s first partisan school board elections. There is some major competition happening between the candidates for the four open positions on the Metro Board of Education.
Main Street Nashville reports that filings from the Davidson County Commission show that candidates have spent about $80,000 total, with candidates from Districts 4 and 8 far outspending those from other districts.
In District 2, Incumbent Democrat Rachael Ann Elrod has raised $8,425 but has only spent $1,128. Republican opponent Todd Pembroke has raised $6,792 and spent $3,698. Independent candidate Edward Arnold has raised $500 and spent $290.
District 6 Incumbent Fran Bush has only raised $260 and has not spent anything, according to Commission filings. Her opponent, Democrat Cheryl Mayes, has raised $9,293 and has spent $2,553.
Districts 4 and 8 look quite different when going through the numbers.
Democratic candidate Dr. Berthena Nabaa-McKinney has raised over $40,000 for this election. She has spent $32,429, more than any other candidate. She is running after beating incumbent John Little in the primary.
Her Republican opponent Kelli Phillips has raised $9,550 and spent $6,677.
District 8 has independent candidate Amy Pate raising just over $19,000 and spending $14,000. Her opponent, Democrat Erin O’Hara Block, has raised more than any other person in the race, coming in at almost $61,500. She has spent almost $20,000 of that money.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
