Former Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain might run for mayor of Nashville again.
But put heavy emphasis on the word “might.”
Swain said it all depends on how much money she raises.
Swain announced on her Facebook page Monday she’s only considering a run and nothing is definite. But she has already filed the Appointment of Treasurer, which permits her to start raising money.
The race is scheduled for Aug. 1. The filing deadline for the race is May 16.
“We must raise substantial money before I feel comfortable officially announcing. If we fail to reach our preliminary fundraising goal, all early donations will be returned,” Swain said on Facebook.
“Please note you don’t have to live in metropolitan Nashville to contribute to my campaign. What happens in Nashville doesn’t stay in Nashville. It affects every city and town in the state and ultimately the entire nation.”
Swain, of course, ran for mayor last May in a special election to fill out the remaining term of disgraced former mayor Megan Barry. According to Ballotpedia, she lost that election to then-interim Mayor David Briley. Briley got 54 percent of the vote, while Swain got 23 percent.
Last time around, Swain told her Facebook followers, she was outspent six to one, but she still came in second in a field of 13 candidates with only six weeks to prepare.
This year Swain said she has six months to get ready — as opposed to what she had last time, six weeks.
Swain told The Tennessee Star Monday she is interviewing prospective campaign managers and building a campaign team.
Swain, a political conservative, said she did not want to go public with how much money she needs to raise before she decides whether to run.
“One of the things that encouraged me to run is I’ve been approached by some Democrats who believe I am the right candidate for Nashville. I have a real prospect of building a bipartisan and diverse coalition that is committed to the kind of change we believe Nashville needs,” Swain said.
“As far as governance, I plan to govern in a bipartisan way and campaign not just for the Republican vote. I’m campaigning for everyone’s vote.”
According to her LinkedIn page, Swain was a law and political science professor at Vanderbilt University for 18 years. She was also a member of the Tennessee Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Swain received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
[…] defeated in the special election, conservative former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain, is again considering a race for Mayor. Nashville Democrat State Representative John Ray Clemmons has announced in January […]
If I run it will be as Carol Swain. What you see is what you get. I would work hard to build a strong coalition of people who want a better Nashville.
I will contribute and work for her. I believe in her although with the “Machine” behind briley already, not much chance. If she could get some big backing and some of the Conservative Broadway business Owners behind her that would help!
Please run, Carol. Nashville needs you.
If Dr. Swain was so inclined, she could use the same tactics as do many “Republican” members of the legislature and disguise her true political nature and intent and hide behind a party name. However, unlike those dishonest people I am very sure her personal integrity prevents her from using this strategy.
If she chooses to run I wish her the best – she’ll need a miracle to overcome the lefty machine of Nashville. Conservative folks have a chance to break the cycle here if they’ll get off their butts and make an effort.