Davis Hunt, founder of the Nashville-based publication The Pamphleteer, said during an interview Thursday with The Tennessee Star’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy that low voter turnout in Metro Nashville elections has allowed progressive political organizations to exert outsized influence over city government, while arguing that increased participation could reshape the city’s political landscape.
Appearing on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Hunt discussed Metro Nashville’s recently approved budget, including nearly $1.5 million in grants allocated to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON).
Asked about the purpose of the grants, Hunt said, “Nominally they’re used for…legal aid to undocumented illegal immigrants in Nashville.”
Hunt traced Nashville’s relationship with TIRRC back to 2022, when American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds were used to support immigration-related legal services.
“The city’s partnership with TIRRC started in 2022 when ARP, American Rescue Plan funds were flowing around and there was a $1.8 million allocation that went towards TIRRC, and that was exclusively for doing legal aid for illegals,” Hunt said.
According to Hunt (pictured above), the transition from federal pandemic relief funding to direct appropriations from Nashville’s operating budget represents a deeper relationship between city government and the nonprofit.
“As the ARP funds have expired, they’ve since shifted the grant that they’re offering to do these services into the general operating budget, which to me is the evolution indicative of a deepening relationship between TIRRC, specifically in Nashville,” Hunt said.
Hunt also noted TIRRC’s political activities through its affiliated organization, TIRRC Votes, which he said endorsed Mayor Freddie O’Connell and numerous Metro Council candidates.
“TIRRC Votes, which borrows staff from TIRRC and borrows resources and all other things. For all intents and purposes, it’s the exact same organization, endorsed O’Connell for council in 2019 and for mayor in 2023,” Hunt said.
He added that the group’s electoral operations have been substantial.
“They reached 470,000 voters during the 2023 mayoral cycle. They knocked on, I can’t remember the exact number, I wanna say it’s 10,000 to 20,000 doors on behalf of their slate of candidates. They endorsed 26 candidates, and 21 of those won, including Mayor O’Connell,” Hunt said.
Hunt questioned the appropriateness of city funding for an organization that he said already possesses significant financial resources.
“The thing that sticks out to me the most is that this is an organization that has massive amounts of money,” Hunt said. “If you look at their public financial filings, they had $10 million in the bank as recently as 2024. They raise anywhere from $8 to $10 million a year.”
Regarding the city’s budget process more broadly, Hunt argued that political support can often be secured through relatively small appropriations.
“There is tons of purchasing votes that’s happening right now, but I think it’s cheaper than you think,” Hunt said. “If it takes $735,000 to buy TIRRC’s allegiance, that’s, to me, a bargain if I’m a mayor.”
Hunt cited the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition as another example of advocacy groups seeking city funding during the annual budget process.
“This year it was the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition, and they had a $25 million spending plan that they were looking to get funded, and the mayor gave them probably a million of that,” Hunt said.
Turning to Nashville’s political future, Hunt argued that increasing voter participation in local elections is the most important step toward changing city government.
“The main issue with Nashville is that people are not educated on or know what’s happening in Metro government, and mostly people do not vote,” Hunt said.
He noted how many Metro Council races are decided by only a handful of votes.
“Some of these council members are winning with 800, 900 votes and beating their opponent by 50 votes,” he said.
Hunt pointed to what he described as a significant gap between participation in federal elections and local contests.
“O’Connell got elected with 74,000 votes, I think was the number, which was about less than 15 percent of all registered voters in the city,” Hunt said. “Very low turnout.”
To address the issue, Hunt highlighted a new initiative called Vote Nashville, led by political organizer Seneca Scott.
“Vote Nashville’s mission is to increase turnout in Metro elections by 10 percent,” Hunt said.
He said the organization plans to use public awareness campaigns and extensive canvassing operations to engage voters who participate in presidential and midterm elections but typically skip local races.
“The biggest thing that we can do as a city is just encourage people to vote in these off-year, off-cycle elections, which seem designed to depress turnout,” Hunt said.
Hunt went on to argue that Nashville’s electorate is not as ideologically left-leaning as city government suggests.
“I really don’t think that the city is nearly as blue as the government reflects,” he said.
He also said that organizations on the political right should emulate the grassroots tactics employed by progressive groups.
“There’s no reason that this approach to politics, which is extremely effective in low-turnout cities like Nashville, should be the exclusive domain of the most radical elements of society,” Hunt said.
“Our goal here is to get moderate people that are not accustomed, that do not do politics for a living, like many of these groups do, and get them engaged in the civic process in Nashville,” he added.
Hunt concluded by arguing that increasing civic participation is essential for changing the direction of Metro government.
“It’s the only chance we have to push back against the lunacy on the council,” Hunt said.
Tune in now to The Michael Patrick Leahy Show – your AMERICA FIRST news talk!
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
