In February, longtime state Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) announced that he would not seek reelection in state House District 52. “As a lawyer and a person who has been deeply involved in elections for many years,” Stewart said at the time, “I hope to do what I can to protect the democratic process in the upcoming 2022 and 2024 elections.”
Now, two prominent local progressives have declared their candidacy to represent the district, which contains part of southeast Nashville around Antioch, as well as a small portion of East Nashville.
Two weeks ago, Metro Councilmember Delishia Porterfield entered the Democratic primary field. A special education coach, Porterfield was first elected to the council in a 2019 special election and later that year was elected to a full four-year term. Her District 29 includes parts of Southeast Nashville between the Nashville International Airport and Percy Priest Lake.
Porterfield is a past vice chair of the Metro Council Budget and Finance Committee and has been among the most liberal members on the council. She has supported efforts to redirect law enforcement resources to other purposes, was among the first public officials to endorse Odessa Kelly’s primary challenge of Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, and was a state co-chair of Bernie Sanders' presidential bid.
“My record on council has proved I’m a very strong voice,” Porterfield told our sister publication the Nashville Post earlier this month. “That’s really what we need right now.”
This week, news arrives that local activist and divinity student Justin Jones is also running for the seat. In an interview with the Post, Jones said the state House is a better fit for his record than the U.S. Congress — he briefly sought to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) in 2019 and 2020 but ultimately abandoned the effort.
Jones has spent nearly a decade as a frequent presence at the state legislature, protesting on behalf of voting rights, racial justice and other issues. He was arrested and banned from the Capitol grounds after lobbing a paper cup at then-House Speaker Glen Casada, and he spent weeks camped out at what activists called the People’s Plaza during the summer of 2020.
“People want to know how we are resisting these extreme bills,” says Jones, who calls Porterfield “a friend” and someone he respects. “It’s the same concerns, and I think people are united in that conversation.”
Jones also offers praise of Stewart, whom he calls “a fighter.” He adds that Stewart once bailed him out of jail after a protest.
“We need an organizer in that seat,” Jones says.
The Democratic primary will be held Aug. 4, with the general election to follow on Nov. 8. No Republicans have declared their intention to run in the 52nd.
