A message from the Chair of the Williamson County Democratic Party, Dr. Jenn Foley

Please vote in the Democratic primary

I know voting as a Democrat in Williamson County often feels like an exercise in futility because we usually don’t have Democrats on the ballot for county-level seats. The 2022 election is different though because, for the first time ever, we have a contested primary between two Democrats who are running for County Clerk! In fact, this year is the first time we’ve had a Democrat running for County Clerk at all! This means that even though you might not have a Democrat on the ballot in your county commission or school board district, you will still be able to make a choice between two fine Democratic candidates who care about their community when you select the Democratic ballot. 

We have heard that some Democrats plan to vote in the Republican primary for strategic reasons. While we believe that every vote matters and everyone should vote their conscience, we hope that every Democrat will come out to support the brave candidates that care about our community by voting in the Democratic primary. Here are a few other points we hope you’ll consider: 

• We must support the brave Democrats who stand up to run for office in our county. That should be enough to convince you. Stepping up to run for office and declaring Democratic values is daunting in Williamson County. If you're not brave enough to do it, the least you can do is respect and support the people who are willing to do so by casting a ballot for them in the primary election.
• The WCDP, with the guidance of the TNDP, has clearly defined vetting processes for our candidates to make sure they align with our party values and platform. We hope you will vote for candidates that align with your values.
• Politics is a game of percentages and data. In 2020 Williamson County had one of the biggest shifts toward Democrats in the state. Check out these maps. We need to keep this momentum going! 

• Voter turnout in the primary election is our most reliable measure of how many Democrats there are in the county. We use these turnout numbers to recruit candidates, target voters, and grow the party. The DNC and TNDP also use these numbers to determine how much investment (in funding and organizing efforts) should be geared toward each county. We need Democrats to show up in order to make the state & national parties sit up and take notice of Williamson County. 
• Voting in a Republican primary could hurt your chances of being a qualified Democratic candidate in the future. We want to make sure our Democratic candidates support the party and stand up for our values. 
• The Republican party is undergoing an identity crisis and they don’t need Democrats to chime in. The GOP needs to decide if they want to be the party of bigotry and censorship, as exhibited by the extreme groups like Moms For Liberty, or return to their Reaganomics limited-government philosophy that has benefited the 1% and left the rest of the country behind. Democrats do not support either of these viewpoints and we shouldn’t be voting for any Republican candidate. 
• Voting for the least extreme Republican candidate in the Republican primary could backfire because who is to say that swing voter would not vote for the Democrat or Independent candidate over an extreme right-wing Republican? Most people do not pay close attention to local politics. The casual or new voter who doesn’t usually vote in a primary election might decide to vote in the general election and be completely turned off by an extreme Republican candidate who calls for banning books in our school and county libraries. The Democrat on the ballot would likely earn support from swing voters in this scenario, but that same candidate might fare differently against a moderate Republican. 
• Finally, if you are a proud Democrat, you should always vote for the Democrat. After all, the Republicans did not gain a supermajority in Tennessee by voting for Democrats.

I hope you will support our Democratic candidates in 2022 with your vote and through donations of your time and money. If we work together we can flip seats in Williamson County.