NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After declaring he wouldn't run and indecision since then, Rep. Mark Green said on Thursday he will actually run for his seat again in Congress.
On Valentine's Day, Green said he would retire from Congressional House District 7. However, Green said former President Donald Trump asked him to reconsider.
So, he did.
"While my strong desire was to leave Congress at the end of this year, since my announcement, I have received countless calls from constituents, colleagues, and President Trump urging me to reconsider," Green said in a statement. "I was reminded of the words of General MacArthur on a statue at West Point: ‘Duty, honor, country.’ I realized, once again: I had a duty to my country to fulfill. I will be running for re-election so I can be here on Day 1 next year to help President Trump end this border crisis once and for all."
NewsChannel 5 has confirmed two candidates have picked up petitions: former state Rep. Brandon Ogles and former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Ogles would run for the Republican nomination while Barry would run as a Democrat.
"Today, Mark Green changed his mind and decided to run for a job that just two weeks ago he said he didn’t want — just because his party bosses told him to," Barry said in a statement. Green said himself what his bosses know, that my campaign is mounting a serious threat to flip this seat blue. Green’s flip-flop is just more of the same chaos and incompetence that has marked his time in Congress."
House District 7 includes pieces of Nashville, Franklin and Clarksville. It also has a wide swath of rural Middle and West Tennessee.
For people of my generation, in our younger days we spent part of our weekends watching music shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train. That was before the age of music videos. Several years before Soul Train was syndicated out of Chicago, another syndicated R&B show was taped in Nashville at NewsChannel 5. Night Train aired in the 60s and included what may have been the first TV appearance for legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Forrest Sanders has another great look back at station history.
-Lelan Statom