Williamson County Republicans energize voters weeks out from general election

Local Republicans gathered in Thompson's Station on Sept. 7 for the Williamson County Republican Party BBQ fundraiser just 59 days before the Nov. 5 general election.

The event saw remarks from several lawmakers and candidates including U.S. Reps. Mark Green and Andy Ogles, state Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), state Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), state Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) and Williamson County Commission District 10 Republican nominee Bill Petty.

Recently elected Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes and Criminal Circuit Court Judge David Veile also spoke, along with Williamson County GOP Chair Tracy Miller and state GOP Chair Scott Golden. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn made a brief appearance but did not make any remarks.

Bulso acknowledged his role as a self-described “culture warrior” during his first term in the state House, citing a favorability poll that his campaign commissioned.

“These things have made me very unpopular with Democrats," Bulso said to laughter and applause from the crowd of voters. "In fact, in the poll that we took, anybody who identified as a Democrat universally had an unfavorable opinion of me; it was 100 percent across the board." 

“I'm here to tell you, if they don't like me now after the first two years, just wait until we go for two more years, and with your help, we'll get there.”

In February, Green announced that he wouldn't seek reelection before reversing that decision following pressure from Republican Party leaders including former President and 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, despite telling Axios that Congress is “broken.”

Green spoke to The News prior to his remarks where he reiterated his position on the state of Congress.

“The problem is that we [Republicans] vote our districts and the Democrats vote their ideology, so they're in lockstep,” Green said. “We don't have a very big majority, we don't get a lot done, so we've got to win a lot of races. We need a majority in 2025, and then we can get stuff done.”

Green is facing Democratic challenger and former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry for the seat, who he called a “good campaigner.”

“We're not taking it lightly; we're working hard,” Green said of the race.

Green pushed back against calls from Montgomery County Democrats and veterans who have criticized him for not releasing his complete military service discharge records, known as a DD214, adding that he's “seriously considering” releasing what he called his “stellar” records.

“People who've never served trying to punch me in the face because I haven't released my DD214, screw that, I didn't see Justin Kanew flying in the helicopter into Baghdad,” Green said. “That guy doesn't get to ask me for my DD214.” 

Kanew is Green's former 2018 Democratic congressional opponent and the founder of the progressive media outlet The Tennessee Holler, which has amplified calls for Green to release the records.

“Some of the others [calls from fellow veterans,] okay, maybe we will. I'm seriously considering it,” Green said.

“When the right person asks, we'll release it just so we can stick our finger in their eye.”

When asked about the recent revelation that Nashivlle-based Tenet Media is an alleged Russian influence operation utilizing unwitting conservative podcasters, Green said he’s concerned about disinformation from all of America's adversaries.

“There's a lot of disinformation coming out of Russia,” Green said. “There's disinformation coming out of China and all that's very concerning. I will say Vladimir Putin is a bad person; he's a murderer, and we should push back on him.”

Green called President Joe Biden a “weak, feckless leader” and characterized Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, as “just as weak” in his speech to Republican voters.

He also reiterated talking points about the U.S.’s ongoing border and immigration debate and championed his leading of the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year in the House. That impeachment effort later failed in the Senate.

“They [Democrats] can't win a single election, and it's going to take every one of you,” Green said to the crowd. “And I'm asking you right now, how much do you love this country? ...We're a great country, and it's worth fighting for.”

Ogles also spoke at the BBQ fundraiser following his defeat of Republican challenger Courtney Johnston in the Aug. 1 primary. He will now face Democratic challenger and Nashville activist Maryam Abolfazli in the Nov. 5 general election.

“Before we get started, if you wouldn't mind checking your table, I have misplaced one of my phones,” Ogles joked as he opened his speech, referring to the FBI’s recent seizure of his phone as part of a campaign finance investigation one day after his primary win.

Ogles insisted that he's not actually the “target” of the investigation. On Sept. 3 he filed an emergency motion in federal court, in which he said he was simply a “subject” in the FBI investigation.

That court filing revealed that investigators also obtained emails and text messages between Ogles and other lawmakers, including Trump, during last year's contentious election of a new Republican speaker of the house.

“If they can target me, a member of Congress, with a fancy little pin, then they can target anybody,” Ogles warned the crowd. “If the executive branch can tear down that wall between themselves and the legislative branch, then the Fourth Amendment goes away — There's more at stake here than just my phone.”

“Considering that they seized my phone the day after my election, it sure seems political,” Ogles told The News, adding that he believes that the FBI “leaked” the warrant to NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams, who first broke the story and has published a series of stories on Ogles.

“If I'm not the target, they could have just waited until after November,” Ogles said. “Anything to do with my filings, we've corrected; we've gone out of our way. I hired a law firm to do a full audit of every transaction. I mean, we've corrected even clerical [errors], we've gone out of our way…that's the thing, they could have just asked me [for his cell phone.]”

“The time is over for talking politics,” Golden told the energized crowd. “We have 59 days to do politics, and if we do it right, we can save the country and make America great again.”