Tennessee State Rep. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), the Republican nominee for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, urged voters to support Republicans up and down the ballot in the November 3 general election, outlining his concerns about the potential consequences of Democrats regaining control of Congress.
Garrett made the remarks during an appearance Friday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, where he discussed his campaign across the 6th Congressional District and the overall stakes of the midterm elections.
“This election’s a whole lot more than one particular person, one particular district. It really is,” Garrett said.
With early voting underway across Tennessee through October 29, Garrett encouraged voters to make a plan to cast their ballots, arguing that Republican turnout would determine the outcome.
“I’ve always said since I’ve been in politics now for… This is my ninth year I’ve ran, of course, is that when Republican conservatives vote, guess what happens? Republican conservatives win,” Garrett said.
He pointed to Trump administration policies, including no tax on qualifying overtime pay and tips, as reasons for Republicans to turn out.
“Everything that President Trump has accomplished in his first half of this second term – no tax on overtime, no tax on tips,” Garrett said. “What do you think the Democrats are gonna do the minute they get rid of it?”
He also warned that a Democratic takeover of Congress would bring renewed efforts to impeach Trump and investigations into his administration.
“That’s all they’re going to do,” Garrett said when Leahy asked how many times Democrats might try to impeach Trump if they regain power.
“They’re not Democrats anymore. They’re socialists,” he added.
Garrett also framed the election as a choice between competing political ideologies, invoking a slogan he attributed to State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), the Republican nominee for Tennessee’s newly redrawn 9th Congressional District.
“As Brent Taylor has said over and over, competence over crazy. Common sense over nuts. Being a conservative or being a progressive,” Garrett said. “Do you want socialism and communism, or do you want a free America?”
“November 3rd is your time to shine,” Garrett said. “That’s the bottom line.”
With regard to his campaign, Garrett said he has spent roughly a year and a half visiting communities throughout the district, which spans 17 counties and includes parts of Nashville as well as rural communities in the Upper Cumberland and areas closer to Knoxville.
He said rural voters want elected officials to focus on jobs, lower taxes, and reliable services while allowing residents and businesses to operate without unnecessary government interference.
“For the most part…they want to be left alone. They don’t want their congressman or even their state representative knocking on their door and making them feel like the government’s breathing down their necks,” Garrett said.
“That’s what we like about Republican standards. The Republican Party’s ideals are free enterprise, limited government, freedom, liberty, and the ability to go to church and express your faith in the ways our Constitution allows, instead of the government telling you what to do or forcing something down your throat,” he added. “People want to be able to live, get a job, pay as little in taxes as possible, and receive good services in return. That’s where governments need to learn to conserve what they have. That’s what conservatism is, and I think that’s what our rural governments do best.
Garrett faces Democratic nominee Mike Croley in the general election.
President Donald Trump endorsed Garrett in October, describing him as a “Seventh-Generation Goodlettsvillian and Proven Conservative Leader” and pledging his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
On Thursday, Trump urged Tennesseans to vote Republican in every race, including contests for governor, the U.S. Senate, all nine U.S. House seats, and seats in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Early voting runs through Thursday, October 29. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
