Charlane Oliver Launches Campaign Against Corporate Money in Politics

State Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) is running two campaigns this fall. One should be very easy — Oliver has no Republican challenger in Tennessee's Senate District 19, which includes North Nashville, East Nashville and Antioch.  The other campaign, a quest to eliminate corporate spending in Tennessee elections, will be much more difficult. 

Oliver rallied supporters outside the Cordell Hull State Office Building Monday morning to announce legislation to end corporate electioneering in Tennessee races. With several months left before the next state legislative session, details are scarce about any forthcoming bills. While it’s technically too early to file legislation, it’s not too early to promote it — materials online indicate that Oliver will make powers granted to corporations by Tennessee contingent on no political spending. At Monday’s rally, Oliver cast corporate spending — and the private interests it advances — as the upstream source of many Tennessee problems. 

“ This is not a Democrat problem, an independent problem, a Republican problem,” Oliver told supporters and media on Monday. “Everybody wants money out of politics, and I'll be spending my time between now and January building awareness and doing civic education.”

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Oliver says she will wait until the Nov. 3 election before tapping a counterpart to sponsor related legislation in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The issue enjoys bipartisan support at the federal level, and Oliver told reporters she is specifically looking for a Republican to carry her legislation in the lower chamber.

State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), state Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville), Metro school board member Robert Taylor and Metro Councilmember Clay Capp stood with Oliver in support. Many speakers, including members of Stand Up Nashville and the local SEIU chapter, accused Republicans of bending to corporate power in exchange for campaign donations.

For now, Oliver will advocate for campaign finance reforms via Stand Together Tennessee, a new advocacy coalition. Oliver has professional experience as a political organizer, having co-founded and previously led The Equity Alliance.