Nashville, TN Mayor: Early voting began Friday for Nashville’s nonpartisan Aug. 1 primary, and Democratic Mayor David Briley has the most money going into the final weeks. However, Metro Councilor John Cooper, who has mostly been self-funding his campaign, outspent each of the other candidates during the second quarter of 2019.
Briley raised $443,000 during the last three months while Cooper, the brother of local Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, raised $265,000 from donors after he entered the race in mid-April. However, Cooper self-funded an additional $555,000, and he outspent the mayor $678,000 to $419,000. Briley still held a $440,000 to $142,000 cash-on-hand lead at the end of June, though.
Two other candidates raised a notable amount of money. Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons took in $118,000 and self-funded another $50,000, and he spent $157,000 over the last three months; Clemmons had $120,000 left to spend. Retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain, a conservative who lost the 2018 special election to Briley 54-23, took in $112,000 and spent $178,000, and she had $50,000 left for the homestretch.
Briley has the support of former Gov. Phil Bredesen, who is himself a former Nashville mayor, and he also is backed by the prominent Nashville Business Coalition. Cooper has been endorsed by his brother, who represents all of Nashville in the U.S. House, as well as the Fraternal Order of the Police. Cooper also has taken donations from several charter school supporters as well as from Republican David Fox, who lost the 2015 general election. Clemmons has received several contributions from local unions, while Swain has the support of notable Tennessee Republicans like Rep. Mark Green and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Diane Black.
All the candidates will face off next month, and there will be a runoff on a later date if no one takes a majority.