08/08/2026
Look at this Tennessee map. I am the TNDP Democratic committeewoman elected to represent 9 counties in senate district 12. Derek Hawn is my male counterpart. We are tasked with speaking for all the Democrats in these counties:
Campbell, Scott, Roane, Morgan, Fentress, Pickett, Overton, Clay, Macon
There are 3,244 counties in the United States. 3 of our counties are distressed, which means they are in the lowest 10% of economies in the nation: Clay, Pickett and Scott. 5 of our counties are at- risk of being distressed. The population in TNSD12 is about 200,000 Tennesseans.
3994 Tennessee Democrats voted for me in 9 counties in the most rural, most deprived, most ignored state senate district in Tennessee. That may not seem like much to you, but every voter is important to me, and we are determined.
We’ve lost healthcare and hospitals. People have given up. Rural Tennesseans have died.
We’ve lost state jobs, local jobs, manufacturing facilities and corporations. Our utilities and groceries are high, and jobs and money are scarce.
We’ve lost elected officials who fight for us and are representative of us due to gerrymandering and propaganda.
We’ve lost teachers, schools and access to public education.
We’ve lost family farms and homes, family businesses and heirlooms.
We’ve lost our health and given up our dignity just trying to survive.
They have tried to break us.
But we are nothing if not resilient, and we are proud. We are the toughest, scrappiest, hardest working people in this state, and we don’t quit. We hang on, like a hair in a biscuit, fighting for progress and respect, even for the people who disagree with us.
We are .
just as much as any other Tennessean in any other place, and we deserve better leaders.
This political work is hard. Being an elected official on the state executive committee consumes your free time, your money and your livelihood, especially here. The risk of losing your friends, credibility, jobs, reputation and yes, even your freedom, is tangible and real. Not only are we a target from opposition, but (surprisingly), not all Dems are open to helping country folks and will slam the door in our faces. Who knew? 🤷🏼♀️
We do this work because we care about people.
4000 pi**ed off rural TN hill people that are fighting for their lives are demanding to have a voice at the decision making table, and by god, we will be heard.
That’s the mission. Come hell, high water, or prison, I intend for my people to be shown the respect they deserve and stop being stripped of our resources that should be benefiting us.
Love y’all.
