Live from Music Row, Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Nashville Republican Mayoral Candidate Natisha Brooks in studio to discuss how much money she’s raised in the last 40 days for her campaign.
Leahy: We welcome for a return visit to our studio, in person, and drinking the black coffee I made. Is that strong coffee this morning?
Brooks: It’s strong. It’s strong.
Leahy: Natisha Brooks.
Brooks: And I need it. I need it.
Leahy: Good morning, Naisha.
Brooks: Good morning, Michael.
Leahy: I think that is the third time you’ve been in studio with us when you were running for Congress. I just checked my calendar.
Brooks: Yes.
Leahy: On February third you made a big announcement here that you were running for mayor.
Brooks: Right here on your station.
Leahy: And so now we’re March 13th. It’s 40 days later.
Brooks: I just had a birthday.
Leahy: Happy birthday. You turned 29, right?
Brooks: (Chuckles) I know. It all falls in the middle of lent.
Leahy: So now Natisha, you were the first to announce. As far as I know, there are eight others in the race right now. That is correct. And then a couple of ’em have a lot of money. Jeff Yarbro. I don’t know exactly how much he’s raised, but he’s a partner at Bass, Berry, and Sims.
Brooks: Yes.
Leahy: He’s a Democrat state senator. Matt Wilshire raised, I think, over a million and then on the left side, Freddie O’Connell’s in the race and Sharon Hurt.
Brooks: Yes.
Leahy: And the carpetbagger. Carpet bagger Jim Gingrich. (Brooks laughs) He’s got a lot of money.
Brooks: Yes.
Leahy: But he’s a carpetbagger. He’s been here for three years and decided that coming from New York City he should run the city of Nashville.
Brooks: Nashville mayor.
Leahy: Then on the conservative side Independent candidate, Fran Bush has announced, and then Alice Rolli, who was a manager for Lamar Alexander’s 2014 reelection campaign.
Brooks: Correct.
Leahy: So here we are.
Brooks: Here we are.
Leahy: And I think there’s only two Republicans, you and Alice.
Brooks: I think only two Republicans. That’s it.
Leahy: That’s it. The big question is what’s happened since you announced 40 days ago? And have you raised any money?
Brooks: Great question. Yes, we’ve raised some. We’re right at about $30,000 and some change. And remember what I said on the radio, I was gonna put $100,000 of my own in the race. Conservatives, just a little bit of a problem. We need your cash. We’ve got to raise the money.
What we get all the time are these emails that say we’re praying for you. We’re rooting for you. They want Ms. Brooks here. Ms. Brooks, speak here and speak there, but we need your cash.
Leahy: Let’s talk about that a little bit. Just realistically speaking. Matt Wilshire has over a million and a half.
Brook: Yes.
Leahy: Carpet bagger, Jim Gingrich, I think he’s got that in pocket change.
Brooks: In pocket change.
Leahy: And realistically, if you’ve only raised $30,000, you’ve been at it for 40 days, that’s less than $1,000 a day. You’re not gonna get to a big number.
Brooks: That’s where I disagree. Let’s go back to when David Fox was running against Megan Berry.
Leahy: David Fox had a lot of his own personal money.
Brooks: Yes.
Leahy: I think he put in like a million and a half or something.
Brooks: His brother did it through a PAC. I worked on that campaign. My daughter, and I did.
Leahy: Is his brother’s PAC going to put any money in your campaign?
Brooks: No. I think David Fox is the treasurer of Allison Rolli’s.
Leahy: It sounds like she’s gonna have more money than you.
Brooks: Let’s remember this. Freeman put in almost $2 million, raised about $4 million of his own money, and didn’t even make the runoff.
Leahy: That was back in what 2015?
Brooks: 2015. So this race right here is going to be a strategy race, in my opinion.
Leahy: But Natisha, let’s talk Turkey here.
Brooks: And gravy.
Leahy: Turkey and gravy.
Brooks: There you go. But you’ve only raised $30,000. Even if you put in $100,000.
Leahy: But even if you did, you’re just not gonna have the money.
Brooks: Let me go back. It is about the money because I don’t wanna squash the money. You are right. But I also see another pathway to victory.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Natisha Brooks” by Natisha Brooks. Background Photo “Tennessee Capitol” by Ichabod. CC BY-SA 3.0.
