Nashville Mayoral Candidates React to Tennessee Supreme Court Decision to Move Special Election Date Up to May

Several of the 14 candidates who will be on the ballot in the special election for Mayor of Nashville reacted on Tuesday to the news that the Tennessee Supreme Court has decided that the date of the election should be set between May 21 and May 25, rather than on August 2 as previously determined by the Davidson County Election Commission.

“The Supreme Court has ruled, and I’ll be ready for the election,” Acting Mayor David Briley said in a statement, Fox 17 reported.

“I appreciate all the support I’ve already received, and I’m looking forward to a strong campaign over the next six weeks,” Briley added.

“Congratulations to Chief Justice Bivins and the Tennessee Supreme Court for its unanimous decision upholding the rule of law in Tennessee,” former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain, who earlier in the day received the endorsement of conservative author and film maker Dinesh D’Souza for her candidacy for Mayor of Nashville, said in a statement.

“I especially applaud former NAACP President Ludye Wallace for his courage and leadership on this critical matter,” she added.

“We the People can individually and collectively ‘Be the People’ who change colonies, states, and nations,” Swain noted.

At-Large Metro Council member Erica Gilmore, who flipped from supporting the $9 billion transit plan to opposing it on Monday, told News Channel 5:

As I said when I launched my campaign — I’m running this year, rather than next year, because of what Dr. King called ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ Nashville needs a mayor with a strong mandate from the voters. The sooner Nashvillians can have an elected mayor, the better. This election is larger than any one individual. Nashvillians want a champion for the middle and working class. As I travel our great city, I see a rising tide – a vast movement – of Nashvillians who can’t wait. I’m running to be their champion. There’s a hunger and a yearning for bold, visionary leadership to ensure Nashville has a large, vibrant, and growing middle class. This agenda is too important to wait.

Former talk radio host Ralph Bristol, another candidate for mayor who will be on the special election ballot, gave News Channel 5 his reaction to the Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision:

I welcome it. I just recruited a Treasurer, so I can soon collect enough money to spend on the essentials. I’ve been campaigning regularly, without expenses, for nearly a month, and I started with a pretty solid base of support, so I’ll be ready – and Nashville is ready to first defeat the Transit tax, then follow up by electing someone committed to spending and taxing discipline and open government. It’s not too late to correct some of the mistakes of the last administration, and the sooner that starts, the better.