From left: Ailina Carona, Alison Beale, Claire Jones, Laura Andreson, Teri Mai
First-time political candidate Ailina Carona said something that has stuck with me ever since I wrote about the “New Girls Club” of first-time female candidates in Tennessee several months ago. She said running a campaign has been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, save for childbirth. Though Carona lost her bid for Tennessee’s House District 57, she has three children, so she knows she could do it again — even after the pain of her first campaign.
“Women are made for a capacity for pain that is so much more than men, and I think that can transfer into all areas of our life,” Carona told me.
These new candidates were united in their frustration with a lack of gun violence prevention at the state level and with seeing their reproductive rights slashed. It was personal — Shaundelle Brooks’ son and Claire Jones’ co-worker were victims of gun violence, and Laura Andreson is an OB/GYN facing the fallout of Tennessee’s abortion ban firsthand.
While confident, they didn’t have delusions of grandeur. Though some ran in overwhelmingly conservative districts, they thought, “I’ll run to at least see if there’s an appetite for a Democratic candidate in my area.” They thought, “Why not me?” Come election night, all but Brooks — who was elected to state House District 60 — were defeated.
I’m grateful to Brooks, Carona, Jones, Andreson, Ali Beale and Teri Mai for pushing. They led with their hearts and backed it up with knowledge and determination. In doing so, they’ve blazed the trail for the next mom, woman, Democrat who throws their hat into the ring.
—Hannah Herner
Reporter, Nashville Scene and Nashville Post
Our notes of gratitude to animal rescue workers, arborists, homeless service providers and more
