Aaron Gulbransen, executive director of the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, said Republicans have an opportunity to gain a seat in the Tennessee State Senate by flipping District 20, currently represented by Democrat Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville).
Campbell, who was elected to the Senate in 2020, is up for reelection this year and will face Republican nominee Wyatt Rampy in the November 5 general election.
In 2020, Campbell defeated incumbent Republican Steven Dickerson, who represented District 20 for eight years.
Leahy said the race for District 20 “is not a slam dunk for Democrats.”
“It is not a slam dunk for Democrats…Heidi is a very weak candidate. What has she done in the State Senate? And what other offices has she unsuccessfully sought since she was elected to the State Senate in 2020,” Leahy said on Thursday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Gulbransen pointed out that Campbell has unsuccessfully run for two other offices since assuming office —Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District and Nashville Mayor—and that it appears that the Democrat is not satisfied with her job representing Senate District 20.
“It seems like she hates whatever job that she happens to have at the time,” Gulbransen said.
Leahy agreed, asking, “What job does she want?” Does she want to be the state senator to represent this part of Davidson County or does she just want to move up the political chain?”
Gulbransen went on to describe an unpleasant interaction he had with Campbell while he worked with state lawmakers to pass a bill authorizing the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child.
“She is a weird woman…When we were passing the child rape death penalty bill…She walks over to me and she she goes, ‘Were you supporting that awful bill that just passed?’ And I looked at her and was like, ‘You mean the child rape death penalty option? Yeah,’ and she’s like, ‘Why would you do that? It was just awful.’ And I looked at her dead in the eye and I said, ‘Because I don’t like child rapists. Apparently you do.’ And she walked off,” Gulbransen said.
Gulbransen also described Campbell as the “most anti-Christian legislator” in the Senate.
“She just hates Christianity. I would go so far as to say, and this will probably generate a little bit of controversy, that she probably hates the very concept of God, based on what I’ve seen,” Gulbransen said.
That’s when Leahy pointed out that Campbell’s opponent, Rampy, is an elder at the Bellevue Church of Christ and advocates for “safe communities, fully staffed and supported police force, increased funding for mental health professionals, and tougher bail and sentencing guidelines for violent crimes.”
“All of these things that Wyatt Rampe is for, Heidi Campbell opposes,” Leahy said.
“Republicans in Davidson County, If you want to win, you’ve got to get off your you-know-whats and go and help Wyatt Rampy win,” Leahy added.
Watch the full segment:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
