RELEASE: Pro-Immigrant Political Group Endorses Tim Kelly for Mayor of Chattanooga
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2021
CONTACT
Hamp Price, hamp@tirrcvotes.org, 256-749-6420
Pro-Immigrant Political Group Endorses Tim Kelly for Mayor of Chattanooga
Kelly promises to be a partner in passing policies that protect immigrant families and build our shared prosperity.
CHATTANOOGA — TIRRC Votes, an organization aimed at building political power in immigrant and refugee communities, has endorsed Tim Kelly in the runoff election for mayor of Chattanooga.
Recognizing the power local elected officials have to implement policy solutions that benefit the immigrant and refugee community, TIRRC Votes strategically invests in key races across the state to build more welcoming municipalities that provide opportunities for all families, no matter who they are, the color of their skin, or how they worship. TIRRC Votes makes endorsement decisions based on candidate surveys and interviews to gauge opportunities for potential partnership and candidates’ political will to implement bold policy agendas to support the immigrant and refugee community.
During the Chattanooga general election, TIRRC Votes contacted more than 27,000 voters through mail, literature drops, phone and text. Because of their efforts, Chattanooga saw an increase in pro-immigrant voter turnout from the 2017 municipal elections, with more than 40% of pro-immigrant voters casting their very first ballot in a local election. Read more about TIRRC Votes below.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, Executive Director of TIRRC Votes:
“It's time for a city government in Chattanooga that will work to provide real solutions for immigrant and refugee families so that everyone in the community has an opportunity to thrive. We know mayors have the power to implement bold policies and programs that will protect our families, increase access to good jobs, housing, and education, and build our shared prosperity.
That's why we are proud to endorse Tim Kelly for mayor of Chattanooga. Tim Kelly promises to be a partner to our movement and to fight for policies that will protect our families. From now until election day we will work to make sure pro-immigrant voters in Chattanooga head to the polls, and we look forward to working with Kelly to realize our vision for a community that gives all families opportunities to prosper, no matter who they are or where they are from.”
About TIRRC Votes:
TIRRC Votes launched in 2018 in response to the unrelenting assault on immigrant families. For the 2018 midterm elections, the new group developed a large-scale electoral mobilization program that engaged nearly 170,000 voters, made 36,000 phone calls and knocked on nearly 19,500 doors.
In 2019, TIRRC Votes invested in the Nashville municipal elections to elect the most progressive metro council in history. Twenty-one of the group’s endorsed candidates won their races, including the historic wins of Zulfat Suara, the first Black immigrant and Muslim to serve on the council, and Sandra Sepulveda, the first Latina elected to the council. A powerful team of more than 60 canvassers knocked on over 14,000 doors and contacted more than 42,000 voters in Nashville.