Sen. Heidi Campbell on the Senate floor in 2021
State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) is running for Congress.
On Tuesday, she filed papers with the Federal Election Commission establishing her candidacy in the 5th Congressional District.
She is the first well-known Democrat to enter the race since incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) announced he would retire. More than a dozen Republicans have entered the race, however, as redistricting made the seat — once a Democratic stronghold — favorable to the GOP. The district now includes southern parts of Davidson County that overlap with Campbell's Senate district in addition to parts of Williamson and Wilson counties and other counties.
Campbell, the former mayor of Oak Hill in Davidson County, won a spirited race for state Senate in 2020, beating incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Dickerson.
Her campaign treasurer is listed as Chip Forrester, a political consultant and former leader of the Tennessee Democratic Party. Campbell could not immediately be reached for comment.
