Immigrant Rights Organization Releases Slate of Council Endorsements for Runoff

A year ago today, TIRRC Votes officially launched as a new political movement to build power for immigrant and refugee communities and build a pro-immigrant majority in Tennessee. Can you believe it’s only been a year?

On August 1,  pro-immigrant voters and candidates won big in the Nashville Metro elections. Of our 21 endorsed candidates, 20 of them were elected or advanced to the run-off election. Together, we took a huge step toward electing a city government that will pass bold, progressive policies to defend our values and protect our families. 

Still sorting through the election news?  

Leading up to election night we talked to more than 20,000 pro-immigrant voters in Davidson County, including knocking on more than 8,500 doors. Even though TIRRC Votes was founded just last year, we ran one of the biggest Get-Out-The-Vote operations in the election. 

Twenty TIRRC Votes Endorsed Candidates Win, Advance to Runoff

Thursday is Election Day and we have the chance to do something big together. We’ve endorsed four incredible candidates who could make history on August 1 as the largest class of immigrant candidates to ever sit on the Metro Council. 

This week we had the opportunity to address more than 1,000 people at a rally for presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg as he campaigned in Nashville.

Immigration is a central part of the national debate and must be a priority for the next president of the United States.  As candidates develop their platforms and vision for our nation’s immigration systems, it is critical to understand the experience of immigrant families in America’s new destination states. That’s why TIRRC Votes held a roundtable with Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke today while he was campaigning in Nashville. 

We’re excited to announce our endorsement in 15 district council races for the upcoming elections in Nashville. We chose these Metro Council candidates because they’ve pledged to be champions for immigrant families -- and because immigrant voters and their allies can make the difference in these races.

Pro-immigrant voters will ‘make the difference’ in district races

On August 1, voters in Nashville are going to the polls for the first major Metro election in the Trump era. In this historic moment, we need to elect bold and progressive candidates who reflect our community and our values. That’s why we’re excited to announce our endorsements of Burkley Allen, Fabian Bedne, Gicola Lane, Bob Mendes and Zulfat Suara in the race for Metro Council Members At-Large and Vice Mayor Jim Shulman for re-election.

Pro-immigrant group will support progressive slate of candidates for
Vice Mayor, Council At-Large

HB0662 sought to make it harder for immigrant parents to obtain birth certificates for their newborn citizen children

HB1238 sought to burden our criminal justice system with civil immigration law

Bruce Griffey ran for office on an extreme, anti-immigrant platform - promising to bring Trumpism to the state capitol. 

HB0614 would require landlords to say, "show me your papers"

HB0562 sought to tax hardworking Tennesseans