Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry weighing run for Congress

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is considering a bid for Congress in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Clarksville.

"I'm exploring a run for Congress and will decide in the coming weeks," Barry said in a statement to The Tennessean on Wednesday. "I believe Mark Green has repeatedly ignored the needs of Tennesseans as rural hospitals close and more people die from overdose deaths. He supports extreme bans on abortion and he and Congress have done nothing about gun violence. He deserves to be challenged."

Since the Republican-majority state legislature re-drew congressional redistricting lines in 2021, carving Nashville into three GOP-dominated congressional seats, Music City has not had a representative in Congress who resides within Davidson County.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. John Rose, whose district includes parts of northeast Nashville, lives in Cookeville, while U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, who represents parts of Antioch and south Nashville, lives in Columbia.

Barry, a Democrat, was the first female mayor of Nashville, elected in 2015 after two terms on the Metro Council. During her administration, Barry advocated for a business-friendly, socially progressive agenda.

She resigned from the office in 2018 after pleading guilty to felony theft related to a nearly two-year affair with a former police bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest. Barry was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation and agreed to reimburse the city for $11,000 in unlawful expenses. After completing three years of successful probation, the charge was expunged from Barry's record in 2021.

Despite the affair, and her resignation, Barry has remained a prominent and well-respected voice in Nashville politics, and has advocated for addiction research, among other topics. Her son, Max, died of an opioid overdose while she was in office.

The Nashville Banner first reported Barry considering a congressional bid.

Green is a physician and retired U.S. Army major, and was elected to Congress in 2018. He is currently chair of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee. He is an outspoken advocate of U.S.-Mexican border security, and military and veterans issues.

Green won reelection last year in the newly drawn 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of North Nashville and northwestern Davidson County, defeating progressive Nashville organizer Odessa Kelly 60% to 38%. The district stretches from the Kentucky to border down to the state line with Alabama. Of the three members of Congress who represent Nashville, Green is the only member to locate a field office in the city.

Last month, Green launched a brief, unsuccessful bid for U.S. House Speaker as Republicans struggled to coalesce around one candidate. He was eliminated in the second round of closed-door votes.

Prior to his election to Congress, Green a served two terms in the Tennessee state legislature. Green was nominated for U.S. Secretary of the Army by then-President Donald Trump in 2017, but withdrew after drawing criticism for previous statements about gays, lesbians, and Muslims.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ex-Nashville Mayor Megan Barry weighing run for Congress in Middle TN