Former state House Speaker Beth Harwell is officially seeking the Republican nomination in the 5th Congressional District.
The Nashville Republican has publicly weighed running for the seat since it became clear that leaders in the state legislature would turn the district from a solidly Democratic seat anchored in Nashville to a GOP-friendly district that includes pieces of Davidson, Wilson, Williamson and other counties.
Harwell was first elected to the state House in 1988, and was elected speaker in 2011. She held that position until 2018, when she decided to leave the state House and run for governor. She finished fourth in the Republican primary.
Harwell will face a crowded Republican primary in this race too. Candidates so far include Trump-endorsed former State Department aide Morgan Ortagus, former National Guard Brigadier General Kurt Winstead and businessman Baxter Lee.
“Unlike some folks who just found out what the 5th District was going to be and jumped in the race, I spent two months talking to voters and getting to know what they want from their U.S. Representative,” Harwell told the Tennessee Star, presumably in reference to Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, two candidates who recently moved to the area. “I think I’m the only person in the field that has a proven record of success with a conservative fiscal record.”
Harwell currently serves on the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority and is a past chair of the Tennessee Republican Party.
