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Democrats host gubernatorial candidates

By ZOË HAGGARD - zhaggard@t-g.com
Posted 7/2/22

The Bedford County Democratic Party hosted two gubernatorial candidates at a dinner Thursday evening.  

Candidates J.B. Smiley and Dr. Jason Martin both spoke and answered questions from the …

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Democrats host gubernatorial candidates

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The Bedford County Democratic Party hosted two gubernatorial candidates at a dinner Thursday evening.  

Candidates J.B. Smiley and Dr. Jason Martin both spoke and answered questions from the audience addressing issues such as abortion, education, and voter turnout.  

Smiley is a lawyer and councilman from Memphis. His take on winning a primarily red and rural state as a blue and urban candidate is by encouraging more voter turnout.  

“I don’t necessarily believe Tennessee is a Republican state. The state of Tennessee is a non-voting state.”

According to Smiley, 1.6 million people did not vote in the last gubernatorial race. He said the majority of that group is made up of millennials and Generation Z as well as “marginalized communities,” such as minority and rural communities.  

“We get that base energized and excited,” said Smiley. “Our campaign will get people excited, will turnout voters, and ultimately, we will send Bill Lee home.”  

Smiley defined the role of the government as a means to “provide for the general welfare” of people.  

“What makes me different from any other candidate is you can’t confuse me on the law because I understand it. You can’t tell me the value or the importance of local governments...because I’m there,” said Smiley.  

Smiley also discussed high crime in Tennessee. “What we need to talk about is that we have the third highest rate in the country for violent crime.”  

As of 2021, Memphis specifically has been ranked the most dangerous city in the nation, according to a 24/7 Wall St. study using FBI statistics. For example, they have a violent crime rate of 1,359 per 100,000, according to the study.  

“The reality of the situation is...the majority of people are in marginalized communities. What this state needs is a government who understands what it’s like to struggle in Tennessee,” said Smiley.  

Originally from Southern Alabama, candidate Martin is a physician in Sumner County and has been living in Tennessee for 20 years. Martin said he grew up in a “modest upbringing” under conservative parents who worked for everything.  

“I get this question a lot: are you a Republican or a Democrat? And I always start with, I’m a Tennessean,” Martin said. “And I think the way we win this race is by talking about issues that appeal to everybody.”  

Those issues include access to a great school, healthcare, and infrastructure (like broadband). The major theme in Martin’s campaign is pointing at the “lack of leadership” in Gov. Bill Lee’s office, especially involving issues like COVID.  

“I am sick and tired of COVID but when you talk about it in terms of leadership, I think that’s something people can relate to...”  

Martin also hopes to help rural areas with better healthcare access.  

Concerning Bedford, specifically, “Y’all are lucky that you have access to healthcare. One-fifth of our counties don’t even have an ER.”  

Due to this lack of investment in healthcare, Martin said Tennessee is number one in the nation medical debt bankruptcies and hospital closures per capita.  

“All that stuff not only affects people’s health and their lives directly, but it also affects the economy. And that’s the connection I try to make to folks,” said Martin.  

In a similar vein, Medicaid expansion, which is another part of the doctor’s platform, is “basically a billion dollars a year in our tax money that we’ve paid to the federal government and they’re trying to get it back to us,” said Martin.  

With the nation split over the “right to abortion,” both candidates spoke on the issue saying they are for the legalizing of abortion.  

“I believe folks that believe in limited government would share this opinion that government does not have a role in the doctor’s office,” Martin said. “If we want to see as few abortions as possible, then I think we should talk about access to women’s health resources and education. We should work on preventing unwanted pregnancies.”  

When asked about protecting the life and right to live of the child in the womb, Martin said, “It’s not exactly a direct comparison. When you make abortion illegal, you don’t stop abortions, you just stop the safe ones.”  

Smiley added, “Women’s rights does not stop at bodily autonomy,” saying his goal is to help women earn a better living wage.  

Both candidates also said they had issues with the state’s new education funding formula, TISA, saying that even though a county like Bedford may be getting $11 million more a year in funding, that will create debt in 2027.  

“It’s going to be great during the grandfather period where local communities...the funding is significantly increased,” said Smiley, “But what happens in 2027? 2027, those same commissioners, those same school reps will understand this formula was never about raising funding for marginalized communities.”  

Instead, Smiley said the formula will go to “privatizing public education.” When the grandfather period ends, Smiley said taxes will increase to compensate for the extra funding.  

Martin added, “Most counties are going to see more in absolute dollars but they’re also going to have in a couple years after this whole harmless period just mentioned passes, is they’re going to be more responsible for a larger percentage of that bigger piece of the pie. It’s going to mean more money out of your pocket. That’s going to mean sales tax increase or property tax increases.”  

“We need to make sure they understand there’s a carrot right now, but there’s a stick coming,” said Martin.