To: Interested Parties From: Federation for Children Date: November 4, 2014 RE: NEA’s Grip on Tennessee Slips in 2014 Election Cycle

Building on its momentum after supporting several successful candidates and unseating a 20-year Republican incumbent in the August primary, the Tennessee Federation for Children PAC (TFC PAC) supported three educational-choice challengers to incumbents, with one declaring victory over his opponent in tonight’s general election, and two more losing by votes of only 16 and 55 votes respectively.

During the primary, TFC PAC supported candidates who were opposed by the state’s largest teacher’s union—the Tennessee Education Association (TEA)—in six races across the state. The candidate supported by TFC PAC prevailed in five of these six races.1

This trend continued tonight in House District 13, where Eddie Smith defeated Rep. Gloria Johnson.

House District 13: Eddie Smith (R)* vs Rep. Gloria Johnson (D)

In Knoxville, Tennessee, Republican, House District 13 candidate Eddie Smith went head-to-head with outspoken incumbent Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) and won by a narrow margin of 183 votes. Gloria Johnson’s two years in the legislature were notable for her outspoken opposition to any reforms beyond the TEA-supported agenda. A local church leader, Eddie Smith’s campaign of hope and meaningful reform stood as a stark contrast to a legislator who was more well-known for what she opposed than what she supported.

1 TFC PAC supported‐candidates who won their primary: Rep. , House District 33; Jerry Sexton, House District 35; Rep. , House District 63; Dr. Sabi Kumar, House District 66; Leigh Rosser Wilburn, House District 94.

* Asterisks are used to notate campaign winners TFC PAC advocated for Eddie Smith’s election across a variety of media formats, helping him reach over 6700 Knox County voters who voted to elect him to his first public office.

House District 69: (R) vs Rep. David Shepard (D)*

West of Nashville, from Dickson to Columbia, House District 69 saw a hard-fought campaign between 14-year incumbent David Shepard (D-Dickson) and challenger Michael Curcio (R-Dickson). Rep. Shepard retained his seat by only 16 votes (6246 to 6230).

This race quickly turned ugly, with Shepard and Shepard-supporters waging a negative smear campaign against Michael Curcio by framing his past charity efforts to benefit Marines overseas as a false claim of military service. Despite a positive platform of sustainable job growth and cooperation with a conservative legislature, Curcio was simply out-gunned by a savvy incumbent who had spent years catering to government unions to help build a campaign war-chest.

The 16-vote margin that decided this race is a sign that the voters of District 69 will be watching Rep. Shepard very closely in the next general assembly.

House District 50: Troy Brewer (R) vs Rep. (D)*

In Nashville, accountant Troy Brewer fell short in his challenge to Rep. Bo Mitchell, losing by just 430 votes. Bo Mitchell was able to successfully deploy a large campaign account after collecting over $100,000 of PAC money.

As a last-ditch campaign tactic, Rep. Mitchell publicly threatened to file litigation against TFC PAC –which stands by its campaign advertising and looks forward to defending itself against any frivolous claims—but with the Representative’s vote advantage coming entirely from early voting, it appears this tactic was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, Rep. Mitchell will be returning for a second term.

House District 43: Robert Dunham (R)* vs. (D)

In District 43 (Sparta, Cookeville, McMinnville), Republican Robert Dunham ran a positive campaign highlighting his experience as a business owner and his support for giving parents a greater say in their child’s education. His opponent, Kevin Dunlap, an NEA member and TEA supported candidate, ran a respectable campaign with similar policy positions to Dunham, except on the issue of education. In a district that had never before elected a Republican State Rep., 2 Mr. Dunham was able to only garner 34% of the vote in Warren County, making his 55-vote defeat a tough loss for the local businessman.

Conclusion

Parents and community members across the state have spoken in favor of educational choice. After the results of the 2014 primary and general elections, the 109th General Assembly will feature even more Representatives willing to represent these voters.

While the TEA may have claimed a small victory this year in defeating Vance Dennis in the August primary, the loss of Gloria Johnson and the near-losses of their candidates across the state is a sign that the grip of special interests in education is slipping. Regardless of the results tonight, the direction of Tennessee is moving towards victory for the children of Tennessee.

2 In 2014, Paul Bailey (R) was appointed to serve out the remainder of the term for retiring Charlie Curtiss (D).

* Asterisks are used to notate campaign winners