Rutherford GOP state lawmakers will be absent from League of Women Voters candidate forum

• 8 TN lawmaker candidates commit to participating in forum
• Two of the six seats up for election have competition in Republican primaries
• Forum rules prohibit campaign materials at event
• Incumbents respond about their absence for forum

None of the six incumbents representing Rutherford County as Republican state lawmakers will participate in Thursday's candidate forum, organizers announced.

The event will take place the night before early voting scheduled for July 12-27 starts Friday for the Aug. 1 election for Murfreesboro and Rutherford County offices, and primaries for legislative seats in the Tennessee General Assembly and Congress. The primary winners will advance to the Nov. 5 election.

Republican and Democratic candidates seeking to unseat incumbent state legislators will participate in the forum from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Rutherford County Courthouse in the center of the Public Square in downtown Murfreesboro, according to a press release from the League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro/Rutherford County.

State Sen. Shane Reeves, a Murfreesboro Republican who represents District 14, and state Rep. Robert Stevens, a Smyrna Republican who serves District 13, declined to participate in the forum because they had previous commitments, including a fundraiser by Stevens planned for the same night, said Barbara "Bobbie" Ibarra, co-president of the local League of Women Voters.

"The others chose not to respond to an email or a phone call made to them personally," Ibarra said. "It's disappointing the other candidates are not participating because all voters have a right to hear from everyone seeking their vote."

The local League of Women Voters had canceled past attempts to hold forums in previous election years when the incumbent state lawmakers would not commit to participating. The organization decided to hold a forum this year even though the incumbents won't be present, Ibarra said.

"We felt we should go forward now because we are fulfilling our mission to educate our voters," Ibarra said.

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8 TN lawmaker candidates commit to participating in forum

The following candidates listed alphabetically for each election have agreed to participate in the forum:

• House District 13: Jami Averwater, Repubilcan; Jonathan Yancey, Democrat;
• House District 34: Tucker Marcum, Republican: Amelia Pant, Democrat
• House District 37: Cheri Brown, Democrat
• House District 48: Matt Ferry, Democrat
• House District 49: Luis Mata, Democrat
• Senate District 14: E.R. Smith, Democrat

The Aug. 1 primaries include competitive Republican primaries for two out of the six legislative seats representing Rutherford County.

Marcum is competing in the GOP primary against state Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro.

"You’ve got to give folks the opportunity to ask questions and hear directly from the local officials and candidates for public office, especially nowadays when it seems like you need a search warrant and a SWAT team to hear from our elected officials," Marcum said.

Averwater is competing for the Republican primary against Stevens.

"The League of Women Voters is very kind to host this forum and allow voters the opportunity to hear where the candidates stand on important issues," said Averwater, who previously won election in 2022 to serve on the Murfreesboro City Council. "I would never choose fundraising for my campaign over quality time with members of this community."

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Forum rules prohibit campaign materials at event

Those wanting to attend the forum as audience members must be seated within 10 minutes of the 6 p.m. Thursday start of the event because there will be no admittance once the forum is underway, the press release said.

"There will be no audience participation during the forum," the press release said. "The audience will hear directly from the candidates and their positions on various policy issues facing our communities and state."

Organizers also will prohibit campaign materials, such as T-shirts, buttons and signs, to ensure an impartial and welcoming environment for all candidates.

The local League of Women Voters considered community input in crafting the same forum questions for each candidate with two other event organizers: Middle Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women and the Rutherford County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

The three groups holding the forum are nonpartisan organizations that study and take positions on issues without endorsing or opposing any candidate, party or political appointee, according to the press release.

The public can also watch the event live on Rutheford County TV (RCTV) located on Comcast Xfinity channel 19, AT&T U-Verse channel 99, DTC channel 194, and at rutherfordcountytn.gov/rctv. RCTV will also stream the forums live on YouTube at youtube.com/user/RutherfordGovernment/live.

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Incumbents respond about their absence for forum

The Daily News Journal sent an email prior to 10 a.m. Monday (July 8) to the incumbent lawmakers up for election.

State Rep. Bryan Terry, a Murfreesboro Republican serving District 48, replied at 11:41 a.m. Monday.

"I do not have a primary opponent and am unable to participate," Terry said. "I am currently talking with voters personally at their door and look forward to participating in the WGNS radio forum this fall."

State Rep. Mike Sparks, a Smyrna Republican serving District 49, replied at 1:16 p.m. Monday.

"Unfortunately, I'm unavailable on the 11th, but I look forward to the upcoming WGNS radio forum," Sparks said.

Rep. Stevens replied at 2:07 p.m. Monday. He mentioned that he did participate in a June 27 candidate forum on WGNS and will be present for a Republican Party forum Monday night.

State Rep. Charlie Baum, a Murfreesboro Republican serving in the 37th District, replied to The Daily News Journal by 8:09 a.m. July 9 about missing the local League of Women Voters forum.

"I have a prior commitment and cannot attend," Baum said.

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Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.

Election schedule 2024 for Rutherford County

• Election Day for Rutherford County and Murfreesboro offices, as well as primaries for state and federal legislative offices: Aug. 1
• Last day to register to vote in Aug. 1 election: July 2
• Absentee by mail voting period for Aug. 1 election: May 3-July 25
• Early voting period for Aug. 1 election: July 12-27
• Election Day for president and offices for federal, state, Eagleville, La Vergne and Smyrna: Nov. 5
• Last day to register to vote in Nov. 5 election: Oct. 7
• Absentee by mail voting period for Nov. 5 election: Aug. 7-Oct. 29
• Early voting period for Nov. 5 election: Oct. 16-31

Source: Rutherford County Election Commission website