Courtenay Rogers to run as Democrat for Glen Casada's House seat

Courtenay Rogers, a single mother and technology marketing consultant from Franklin, has announced plans to run as a Democrat for the Williamson County state House seat held by Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin.

Rogers, a Navy veteran and active parent in the Franklin Special School District, said she picked up petition papers on Friday morning to run for the Democratic nomination for the House District 63 seat.

If she wins the Democratic primary, she would likely face an uphill election battle in November against Casada, who is chairman of the House Republican Caucus and has served in the state legislature since 2001.

In announcing her run, the 38-year-old Rogers accused Casada of bowing to special interests and being unable to represent the entire district.

“It’s very apparent that he does not speak for many of his constituents in Williamson County, including women, including minorities, including really anyone who’s not just like him,” Rogers said. “It’s just very apparent that he’s fueled by special-interest groups and that he votes 100 percent along party lines, and Williamson County, and especially District 63 is not all Republican.

“It is absolutely a time for a change, and it’s time for someone to come in and represent District 63 who has the ability to speak for all of Williamson County, not just a selected few.

Rogers, the only Democrat so far to pick up a petition for the seat, said her “eyes were opened” two years ago by the political drama surrounding the Williamson County Schools Board. She pointed to better managing Williamson’s growth and increasing affordable and workforce housing options as two of her top priorities.

“I really got the point where I was sick of complaining, and so now I’m going to try to do something about it,” she said.

Rogers criticized Casada’s vote against legislation aimed at equal pay for women. She also singled out pending legislation backed by Casada that would prevent municipalities from mandating that affordable housing be included in future development.

Rogers called the legislation “appalling” and a blatant disregard of local autonomy.

In throwing her hat in the ring, Rogers joins a growing list of women who Democrats are fielding this year to take on Republican incumbents in the Tennessee legislature.

Also in Williamson County, Democrat Holly McCall, a communications professional, has mounted a run in the seat held by Rep. Jeremy Durham. In Nashville, Erin Coleman is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Steve Dickerson.

Rogers, a graduate of the University of Mississippi, is co-founder of a social enterprise company called Girls to the Moon, which seeks to empower young girls in their communities, and president of the Nashville Chapter of the American Marketing Association. She has lived in Franklin for the past seven years. She said her parents' roots are in the community.

Rogers would be a clear underdog in race against Casada in Williamson County, which is considered one of the state’s biggest Republican and conservative strongholds.

But Rogers, a self-described “analytics geek,” said she believes voting data indicates she can compete. She said nearly half of current Williamson County residents aren’t from the county originally.

“I do think that Williamson County leans conservatively and is definitely a red county, but that is absolutely changing and there is data out there that shows me that.”

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.