Release: Montgomery Co. Democrats Hosts 2nd Annual Blue South Banquet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2024

Clarksville, TN—For the first time since 2018 Montgomery County Democrats have qualified candidates in every race on the November ballot. We stand behind our presumptive nominees: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Megan Barry, Rep. Ronnie Glynn, Councilmember Karen Reynolds, Allie Phillips, and Garfield Scott. Hear from all of our local candidates at the Blue South Banquet on Thursday April 25th at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center (WREC). All ticket donations will support local efforts to elect Democrats. Cocktail hour starts at 5:30 p.m., while the full banquet kicks off at 6:30. Dress is business casual to semi formal.

This monumental event will also feature all three Democratic U.S. Senate Candidates­–Marquita Bradshaw, Gloria Johnson, and Civil Miller-Watkins­– as well as Congressional Candidate Megan Barry, as guest speakers. The winner of the primary between Bradshaw, Johnson, and Miller-Watkins will run against Marsha Blackburn, while Barry is going up against Clarksville’s own Mark Green. Music and a silent auction will also be a part of the festivities.

Donors can purchase a single ticket for $100. RSVP by noon on April 18th. Groups are encouraged to purchase tables: Half a table (for 5) is $500; a whole table (for 10) is $1000. 

Contact MCTNDP Fundraising Vice Chair Karen Sorenson at fundraising@mctndp.org for more information. Tickets can be purchased at mctndp.org.

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This event is OPEN PRESS. Each press organization may credential up to two journalists for the event. To receive credentials and a reserved seat please email press@mctndp.org

Marquita Bradshaw (Memphis), an advocate for human rights and environmental justice, serves as the Executive Director of Sowing Justice, a non-profit organization that works to “utilize Environmental Justice principles to increase civic engagement beyond voting”. She also serves on the boards of other similar organizations. The proud single mother has received numerous accolades for her advocacy work, including the Harriet Tubman Living Legacy Award, Human Rights Award (Mid-South Peace and Justice Center), and the Dick Mochow Environmental Justice Award (Sierra Club). She is campaigning for healthcare and a living wage for all, community policing and restorative justice, universal background checks, fully funded schools, and support for the Green New Deal. This is her second run for United States Senate.

Representative Gloria Johnson (Knoxville) has served in the Tennessee House, fighting against the supermajority. She made headlines as the only member of the Tennessee Three to avoid expulsion in 2023, following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville. Rep. Johnson, who spent 27-years as a public-school special education teacher, fought for Medicaid expansion in 2015 under former Gov. Haslam. She is campaigning for gun reform, women’s reproductive rights, lower drug costs, and fully-funded public education.

Civil Miller-Watkins (Bolivar) is a middle school educator and mother of eight, who has served as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Education in Fayette County. She is campaigning for common sense gun laws, supporting public schools, women’s reproductive health and rights, empowering unions, and voting rights. She previously ran in 2016 for Congress and 2022 for State Senate.

Megan Barry grew up in Kansas and moved to Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University. She served on the Nashville/Davidson County Metro Council, and then became the first woman elected Mayor of Nashville/Davidson County.  While in office, she worked across party-lines to promote and pass funding for transportation and road projects across Tennessee. She also created Opportunity Now, a program that creates thousands of paid opportunities for young people throughout the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Bringing together business and community interests, Barry played a key leadership role in attracting professional soccer to Nashville, and forged a public-private partnership that enabled construction of a permanent home for Nashville SC. In Congress, Barry will focus on protecting reproductive freedom, addressing gun violence, creating economic opportunities and safeguarding benefits for seniors and addressing the devastation of the opioid epidemic. While mayor, she and her husband Bruce lost their only son, Max, to a drug overdose. Since leaving office, Barry has worked to combat the shame and stigma of substance use disorder by sharing Max’s story.

For media inquiries, contact:
Tanisha Taylor, 
Press Secretary
press@mctndp.org