Voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District will see a pair of familiar names on the Nov. 5 ballot: Democrat and Nashville’s former Metro Councilmember and Mayor Megan Barry is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Green, who has held the district since 2019.
In February, Green said he wouldn’t run for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives this year, saying, “Our fight is not here within Washington, our fight is with Washington.” But he reversed course two weeks later, saying in a statement that he was urged to seek reelection by Donald Trump, among others.
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Former middle school civics teacher Shaun Greene is also running in the district as an independent.
Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District stretches from the state’s northern to its southern border, encompassing Stewart, Montgomery and Robertson counties at its northernmost point and Wayne County at its southernmost. Since Republican-led redistricting efforts carved Nashville into three pieces in 2022, the district also includes large chunks of Davidson and Williamson counties. While the gerrymandered district makes for a strongly Republican voting block (Green defeated Democratic challenger and community advocate Odessa Kelly by more than 20 points two years ago), Barry tells the Scene she believes there’s a path forward.
“If it had been drawn like this in 2018, Phil Bredesen — who was a great Democrat — only would have lost this district by one point,” Barry tells the Scene. “And since 2018, this district has gotten even more blue.”
Though Green did not respond to the Scene’s interview request, Scene sister publication The News reported that Green called Barry a “good campaigner” at a September fundraiser — and that he wasn’t taking the race lightly.
By and large, both candidates are consistent avatars for their respective parties. An Army veteran, physician and businessman, Green touts Christian values and aligns himself with the GOP’s MAGA faction. He also chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security and led the House’s successful partisan effort to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year — though impeachment failed in the Senate. He was also among the 147 legislators who voted to overturn the 2020 election results and has been known for his negative rhetoric about LGBTQ and Muslim people. His top policy priorities include anti-abortion efforts, cybersecurity, immigration and decentralizing the power of the federal Department of Education.
Before entering politics, Barry worked as a corporate ethics consultant. She served as an at-large Metro councilmember for two terms, and since the overdose death of her son Max in 2017, Barry has advocated for issues related to substance abuse. She too lists immigration reform among the relevant issues on her website, along with reproductive freedom, gun safety and addressing congressional dysfunction with a bipartisan approach. Barry has also been a vocal opponent of congressional stock trading — something she’s criticized Green of benefiting from in an op-ed for the Cheatham County Exchange as well as in a recent campaign ad.
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Barry has released three video ads since she kicked off her campaign in December. Green released his first ad in mid-October, calling Barry “too liberal for Tennessee.” Green has raised nearly $2 million to date, while Barry trails with roughly $1.1 million.
Voters looking for a candidate free from personal scandal won’t find one in this race. Green is embroiled in a contentious divorce, with his wife recently accusing him of carrying on an affair with a woman 27 years his junior — leading to Green’s daughter Camilla publicly criticizing her father for not being the “Christian, conservative family man” he claims to be. Barry’s single term as Nashville’s mayor ended prematurely in 2018 when she admitted to an affair with her head of security. She resigned and pleaded guilty for theft of property related to the affair, paying the city $11,000 in restitution. Barry tells the Scene she has been working to regain voters’ trust through conversation.
“My belief is that Tennesseans, and especially the folks in this district, believe in second chances,” says Barry.
Diving into the Nov. 5 matchups for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and more
