In an exclusive release provided to The Tennessee Star, former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell announced her campaign team for her run in race for the GOP nomination in Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district.
TLC Political’s Chasen Bullock and Alex Meyer are serving as the general consultants. Former Chairman the Williamson County Election Commission Bob Brown was tapped to serve as campaign manager. Rachel Barrett and Reid Witcher of Rachel Barrett and Company are serving as the campaign’s in-state fundraisers. TAG Strategies is handling the digital fundraising. 1892 LLC is the campaign’s pollster. FP1’s Chris LaCivita and Annie Kelly Kuhle are providing the advertising services. Denny Bottorff will serve as the campaign’s Treasurer.
Harwell, proud of the team she has assembled for her campaign, said in a statement, “I am proud to have such a strong team working with me on this race to help me bring Tennessee common sense to Washington and fix America so that we can get our economy back on track, balance our budget, and secure our borders.”
General Consultant Chasen Bullock, a Senior Political Strategist at TLC Political, has served as Senator Rand Paul’s campaign manager for his 2016 reelection campaign and was the National Political Director at former Speaker Paul Ryan’s SuperPAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund.
General Consultant Alex Meyer, a Senior Political Strategist at TLC Political, has served as campaign manager for several U.S. House and U.S. Senate races across the United States. He also served in a variety of key positions for the Republican National Committee (RNC). TLC Political is a full-service agency for Republican candidates, committees, and causes.
Campaign Manager Bob Brown is a healthcare executive in Nashville. In addition to having served as the Chairman of the Williamson County Election Commission from 2011 to 2022, Brown also served on the Davidson County Election Commission from 1989 to 1994.
In-state fundraiser Rachel Barrett began her political career by serving as the communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party. She later coordinated fundraising for the Tennessee Republican Caucus and communications for statewide initiatives while working at Akins Crisp Public Strategies. Rachel also worked at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) under Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, then-Virginia Senator George Allen, and then-North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole. Rachel has also served as a consultant for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee.
Reid Witcher is the Chief Operating Officer for Rachel Barrett and Company, having worked for Rachel Barrett for more than nine years.
According to the release, TAG Strategies “is a full-service marketing, consulting and creative agency focused on building cutting-edge digital and fundraising solutions for candidates. TAG has raised over $3 billion for their candidates since their founding.”
1892 LLC is a national polling firm that has worked on congressional, senate, gubernatorial, and presidential races around the county.
Campaign advertising consultant Chris LaCivita, a partner at FP1 strategies, is a former combat Marine veteran and ran Preserve America in 2020, a pro-Trump superPAC. He also served as Political Director for the NRSC, Senior Advisor for the RNC in 2016, and Executive Director of the Republican Party of Virginia.
Campaign advertising consultant Annie Kelly Kuhle, a partner at FP1 strategies, was a Regional Political Director for both the NRSC and NRCC.
Campaign treasurer Denny Bottorff was chairman and chief executive officer of the First American Corporation, and he served as the chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority from 2010 to 2012.
Former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell also served in prior roles as chair of the Tennessee Republican Party as well as State House Republican Caucus Whip and Campaign Committee Chair. During Harwell’s tenure in those positions the Republicans took control of the State Senate and State House. In 2011, Harwell became the first female Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Harwell currently serves on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors, a position she was appointed to by President Donald Trump in 2019.
Other candidates in the GOP primary for TN-5 include Tennessee newcomer Morgan Ortagus, California native and music video director Robby Starbuck, businessman Baxter Lee, former Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead, Natisha Brooks, and Stewart Parks. Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles is expected to join the field, while state Senate aid Tres Wittum considers his entry into the race.
Winstead announced key additions to his campaign team on Thursday.
The GOP primary for TN-5 is set to take place on August 4, 2022.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
No question about it, if Andy Ogles doesn’t run Beth (ACU-86%) will be the only proven conservative in the race and therefore the candidate who should get the votes of conservative voters.
15 minutes up. Buh-bye!