Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain said she raised $118,000 in less than a month.
The Swain campaign spent less than 7 percent of the money raised compared to incumbent Mayor David Briley who spent about 62 percent of the funds raised this past quarter, Swain said in a statement.
Swain said, “We are pleased with our first quarter fundraising and have no intention of slowing down. Our fundraising momentum proves that Nashville is ready and eager for new leadership, and I am ready to serve. We are proud to have a donor base that is incredibly diverse in every sense of the word. This campaign is one that ALL citizens can rally behind regardless of gender, race, age, or political affiliation. I look forward to utilizing the funds generously donated to our campaign to take our message directly to the voters. Together we can elect a mayor who will address our transit issues, partner with law enforcement to lower crime rates, and work to provide affordable housing options.”
The former Vanderbilt University professor announced her candidacy in March during her keynote address at a faculty breakfast club event hosted at Tennessee State University in Nashville, The Tennessee Star reported.
Swain finished in second place to Mayor David Briley in last May’s special election for mayor. Briley easily surpassed the 50 percent runoff cutoff, while Swain received 23 percent of the vote.
Swain is one of 12 children, born to a poor rural family, according to her statement. She dropped out of high school, got married at 16 and had three children by the age of 21. Swain completed her GED and attended college, where she earned five degrees. She went on to become a professor at Princeton and Vanderbilt.
If elected, Swain said she plans to address traffic and transit problems, partner with police to lower crime rates and promote affordable housing options.
Swain’s campaign website is here. Her non-political website is here.
Swain previously announced ideas to improve police morale, such as giving officers a voice in selecting their chief, The Star reported.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Davidson County Courthouse” by euthman. CC BY-SA 2.0.
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