Filling Up the Kitchen Cabinet
🗄️ Tennesseans in the Trump admin · Deer rut · Nashville blushes · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone.
President-elect Trump named Middle Tennessee resident Pete Hegseth as his Defense Secretary late yesterday. Meanwhile, NBC reports that Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty is out of the running for a cabinet position, contrary to rumors circulating in recent weeks. Hagerty was purportedly in the running for Secretary of State, but Florida Senator Marco Rubio got the spot on Tuesday.
As Trump’s cabinet fills out, deliberations over who will replace Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and lead the Senate GOP. Both Tennessee senators threw their weight behind Florida Senator Rick Scott, who was knocked out in the first round of voting this afternoon. When the dust settled, South Dakota Senator John Thune claimed the spot.
As deer season approaches and the rut reaches its peak, law enforcement agencies across the state remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road. In 2023, there were over 4,000 car accidents in the state involving deer. Every year about this time, I'm reminded of Rep. Tim Burchett's so-called "Roadkill Bill" which allows people to eat runned over deer without getting a tag from the TWRA. I wrote about the story of its inception last year.
The bill caught the attention of the national press who had a good time making fun of it. I like Burchett's response to the jeers:
''I know, because it's Tennessee, everyone's going to make us look like a bunch of hayseed rednecks, and I understand that, and I know the media's getting a big kick out of this, but after all, the government's supposed to help people with their problems, and this is just a common-sense thing.''
In other news, we’ll be doing an event some time around Christmas. More to come on that front in the coming days.
Onward.
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🔴 Red State Red A dip in performance by the Harris/Walz campaign in Davidson County could indicate a confidence issue within the Democratic party. This morning, Axios’ Nate Rau reported that while 64 percent of Nashville voters backed President Joe Biden in 2020, only 62 percent voted for Vice President Kamala Harris this year. In fact, Mayor O’Connell’s transit referendum landed nearly 2,000 more votes than Harris.
On the other hand, Donald Trump appears to be growing on Nashville. He received 84,550 votes in 2016, 100,218 in 2020, and 101,899 in 2024. While the shift in our blue dot may not be an indication of anything other than the failure of this year’s Democratic campaign, Axios pointed out that every county across the state voted more conservatively this year.
During early voting, Nashville poll workers observed a significant number of first-time voters. And during last week’s council meeting, Vice Mayor Angie Henderson announced that there were nearly 20,000 people registered to vote in September and October alone. While there might not be a big red wave in Davidson any time soon, there are signs that Nashville voters are becoming less averse to an “R” next to a candidate’s name.
💰 Raiding The General Fund The Tennessee Department of Transportation is coming up short when it comes to funding road projects. According to State Affairs, they’re about $42 million behind on the budget. While officials are reporting that “gas, diesel, and other taxes have flatlined,” TDOT plans to tap into the General Fund to make up the difference. Currently, they’re asking for “$300 million in general fund dollars for state road and associated projects.”
🚑 FEMA Under Fire Over the weekend, Governor Lee announced that he has joined forces with Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to investigate the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Helene. According to the Tennessee Star, Lee’s announcement came on Sunday after learning of a FEMA official directing “workers to avoid homes advertising support for President-elect Donald Trump after Hurricane Milton in Florida.”
“FEMA exists to serve all Americans, and these actions have eroded the people’s trust by failing to deliver desperately needed relief to all survivors,” Lee posted on X. He characterized the discrimination as “an example of government being weaponized”—a stark difference in messaging compared to some of the early comments he made in the wake of Helene. On October 3, Governor Lee told local media that reports of “misinformation” regarding the federal response to Helene may be foreign interference. “I understand that FEMA has shared information with members of Congress that foreign sources may be involved,” Lee told Six Rivers Media. “I can’t verify that.”
DEVELOPMENT
- Murfreesboro-based coffee shop opening in Germantown (Post)
- Elegy Coffee to take former Dozen Bakery space (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.
TONIGHT
🎻 Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ The Basement East, 8p, $49.87, Info
🎸 Leon Bridges @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $60.50+, Info
🪕 The Brother Boys @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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