First-time candidate Angie Lawless, a Democrat running for state House District 59 in Davidson County, has faced a barrage of expensive political hits in recent days. Glossy mail and targeted text messages have blanketed the district, formerly held by Democrat Caleb Hemmer, during early voting. Disclosures show they were orchestrated by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national PAC working to elect “out LGBTQ+ candidates at all levels of government.”
Lawless’ chief opponent, former state trooper Mark Proctor, is the only openly gay candidate in the field and was endorsed by the PAC. Proctor has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the attacks to the Scene.
Five first-time candidates vie for District 59, Davidson County’s only open state House race
“Neither I nor my campaign had anything to do with those communications, and I’m committed to clean campaigning,” Proctor tells the Scene in a statement sent Friday, July 24. “Our campaign has remained focused on talking directly with voters about making everyday life more affordable, supporting strong public schools, and keeping our communities safe.”
Mail and text messages strain to tie Lawless to Donald Trump via a character recommendation Lawless wrote on behalf of Cade Cothren, her former tenant and a GOP operative who was convicted of campaign finance fraud and pardoned by the president.
Lawless responded with her own mailed letter. She denounces the ads’ manipulation of her likeness next to Trump.
“I have never met Donald Trump," Lawless wrote to voters. "Never spoken with him. Never supported him. I’ve never even been in the same room with him — let alone put my arm around him, as this dark-money-funded super PAC (which endorsed my opponent, Mark Proctor) would have you believe. The use of AI to falsely mislead voters is the exact type of dirty politics I am prepared for in the general election from Republicans. I did not expect I would see these manufactured lies and distortions in the Democratic primary.”
Dirty politics from Republicans is another possibility. While the party already enjoys a supermajority in the state legislature, stealing a Nashville seat would give the GOP more credibility in its quest to appropriate certain city powers. The spat has already drained precious campaign resources and stirred bad blood, and could turn certain voters against Lawless and Proctor, considered the two strongest Democrats in a field that also includes Beth West and Rick Ewing. Bill Hancock is the likely Republican nominee.
The district toes the county’s southern border, stretching from Bellevue through West Meade, Belle Meade, Forest Hills and Crieve Hall, capturing a mix of Democrats and Republicans.
