TN Dem County Chairs To Call On Exec Committee To Ask GOP/Mcconnell-Backing DNC Rep Bill Owen To RESIGN
Owen, who runs a lobbying firm called Asset & Equity Corporations, donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and gave $8,500 to a joint fundraising committee designed to benefit Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in 2019.
“I am a committed Democrat but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides and the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions,” said Owen, in a brief interview with The Intercept.
“I’m a registered lobbyist and I represent clients and they have interest in front of Congress and I attend the Senator’s Classic, which is a Republican event, each year,” he added.
Owen noted that he understood how his GOP donations could open him up for criticism but stressed that he also gives to Democrats. Federal Election Commission records show Owen has donated to Democrats in previous years, but has not donated to his own party’s congressional candidates this cycle. Owen has not given to any presidential candidates this cycle.
A former member of the Tennessee state legislature, Owen is currently an executive member of the Tennessee Democratic Party and DNC, making him one of the 771 unpledged delegates, also known as superdelegates, who could play a hand in selecting the presidential nomination. Owens is a supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, and has pushed to use superdelegates to make Biden the nominee.
The Tennessee Democrat worked in 2018 to block a Sanders-backed plan to weaken the role of superdelegates in the nomination process. “If we don’t have a vote, then what good are we?” Owen told Politico at the time.
Friends & Fellow County Party Chairs,The TNDP State Executive Committee re-elected Bill Owen, a healthcare lobbyist, for another 4-year term as East Tennessee’s *DNC representative at their January 11th meeting. Yesterday, an online media outlet reported that Mr. Owen contributed thousands of dollars to Republicans, including a joint fundraising committee backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.Sara and I independently reviewed FEC filings of his individual contributions and found that in 2019 alone, Bill Owen personally contributed $18,000 to Republicans, including $8,500 to the GOP Senators Classic Committee, which funds McConnell and more than a dozen other Republican Senators. Mr. Owen did not contribute a single dollar to Democrats in 2019.
While there is not a mechanism for Mr. Owen to be removed at the state level, we believe that in light of this information, State Executive Committee members have an obligation to ask for Mr. Owen’s resignation and if he does not resign, State ECs should call on the Democratic National Committee to remove Mr. Owen.
We ask you to call on your (elected!) State Executives to act and we invite you to participate in an open letter with us, which we intend to publish and release to media after Super Tuesday.If you are interested, please reply to this email.In Solidarity,Sarah Herron, Blount County Democratic Party Chair | 865-599-2038Sara Thompson, Sevier County Democratic Party Chair | 865-607-0934(State Executive Committee District 2)*Bill Owen’s DNC position automatically makes him one of Tennessee’s Superdelgates. He has been drawing national attention for his public comments concerning his intention to undermine voters as a Superdelegate if it appears Sen. Bernie Sanders may win the nomination. We believe it is worth noting that Sarah Herron is a delegate candidate for Joe Biden, and Sara Thompson is a delegate candidate for Sen. Elizabeth Warren.—
State Executive Committee
Marjorie Ramsey
District 1- Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Sevier
(423) 623-7610
marjorie4statehousedist11@gmail.com Barbara Wagner
District 2- Sevier, Blount
(865)-654-4496
bntwagner@aol.comDebbie Harley McClaskey
District 3- Washington, Carter, Unicoi
(423) 676-3567
debbie@debbiefortennessee.comLori Love
District 4- Sullivan, Carter, Johnson
(423) 367-7627
arvillove@gmail.comAnne Backus
District 5- Anderson, Knox, Loudon
(865) 556-3099
backusanne@comcast.netSylvia Woods
District 6- Knox
(865) 414-4161
sylviawoodsknox@aol.comEmily Gregg
District 7- Knox
(615) 557-6737
emilyjgregg@gmail.comRachel Fuentes
District 8- Jefferson, Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Union
(203) 918-9006
ractfuentes@gmail.comPam Weston
District 9- Monroe, Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Polk
(717) 515-2336
p_weston@bellsouth.netDemetrus Coonrod
District 10- Hamilton
423-314-9897
demetrescoonrod@yahoo.comRachel Campbell
District 11- Hamilton
(423) 227-0759
shelbysabrina123@gmail.comTracey Vought Williams
District 12- Morgan, Campbell, Fentress, Pickett, Rhea, Roane, Scott
(865) 742-6569
tracey.nsl2014@gmail.comCaroline McGee
District 13- Rutherford
carolinefmcgee@gmail.comTanea McClean
District 14- Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Rutherford
(629) 335-0698
taneamcclean14@gmail.comCheryl Vickers
District 15- Putnam, Bledsoe, Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, White
(931) 260-4467
cherylvickers4tn@gmail.comBetty Fraley
District 16- Franklin, Coffee, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren
(931) 703-1143
bfraley@bellsouth.netCarol Brown Andrews
District 17- Smith, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Wilson
(615) 347-0193
andrewcarol@gmail.comKristi Cornett
District 18- Sumner, Davidson, Trousdale
(615) 454-0490
kristi@cornettclan.comKatharine Heriges
District 19- Davidson
(615) 390-9253
katharine.heriges@gmail.comJolie Grace Wareham
District 20- Davidson
(630) 418-0395
jgwareham3@gmail.comMarjorie Pomeroy-Wallace
District 21- Davidson
(615) 212-9409
marjorie.pomeroy@gmail.comLinda Crenshaw
District 22- Montgomery, Houston, Stewart
(931) 801-2014
lindaadamsbarnes@gmail.comKelly Baker-Hefley
District 23- Williamson
(615) 631-7577
kbh@hefley.orgAngela Callis
District 24- Weakley, Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Obion
(731) 587-2468
ang.call@hotmail.comMartha Shepard
District 25- Dickson, Cheatham, Hickman, Humphreys, Robertson
(615) 330-0419
marthashep2@gmail.comMeryl Rice
District 26- Hardeman, Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, McNairy
(731) 609-3236
meryl.rice@gmail.comPatsy R. Johnson
District 27- Madison, Crockett, Dyer, Lake, Lauderdale
(731) 668-7139
prjtnd@bellsouth.netPame Morrow
District 28- Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Perry, Wayne
(931) 626-5836
pame50@att.netAllison Brownlee
District 29- Shelby
(901) 744-4467
allison_brownlee@comcast.netJasmine Boyd
District 30- Shelby
(678) 472-1160
jasmine.boyd@gmail.comAdrienne Pakis-Gillon
District 31- Shelby
(901) 355-6879
apakis@earthlink.netDeborah Reed
District 32- Tipton, Shelby
(901) 500-8423
deb117reed@gmail.comKendra Lee
District 33- Shelby
(901) 830-9348
kendranlee2010@gmail.com
Adam Haynes
District 1- Hamblen, Cocke, Greene, Sevier
(423) 736-1398
ashaynes@outlook.comTony Webb
District 2- Blount, Sevier
(865) 386-6181
holcweb@att.netMike Hampton
District 3- Unicoi, Carter, Washington
(423) 330-4671
smalltownmikey@hotmail.comLogan Combs
District 4- Sullivan, Carter, Johnson
(423) 773-0050
combsln@gmail.comJim Hackworth
District 5- Anderson, Knox, Loudon
(865) 603-4225
repjimhackworth@yahoo.comDaniel Brown
District 6- Knox
(865) 258-3777
dt.brown@comcast.netMark Harmon
District 7- Knox
(865) 524-4026
markdharmon@yahoo.comStephen Miller
District 9- Monroe, Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Polk
(423) 836-8210
sambama37354@gmail.comChris Anderson
District 10- Hamilton
(423) 503-0595
chrisandersontn@gmail.comRyan Scofield
District 11- Hamilton
(423) 991-1707
ryanvhs91091@gmail.comBob Cowan
District 12- Roane, Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Pickett, Rhea, Scott
(865) 466-0418
rcowan10@gmail.comBrandon Thomas
District 13- Rutherford
muckrakerthomas@gmail.comMark Farrar
District 14- Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Rutherford
(615) 604-4616
mfarrar712@aol.comAmos Powers
District 15- Putnam, Bledsoe, Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, White
(931) 265-2769
amos.powers@live.comBobby Bush
District 16- Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren
(931) 607-0779
arcprofessionals.inc@gmail.comAubrey Givens
District 17- Wilson, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith
(615) 568-2778
contactus@givenslawfirm.comLeonard Assante
District 18- Sumner, Davidson, Trousdale
(615) 512-6297
lassante@yahoo.comWill Cheek
District 20- Davidson
(615) 292-3967
willcheek@bellsouth.netRichard Langford
District 21- Davidson
(615) 484-8640
richnnash@gmail.comCharles Uffelman
District 22- Houston, Montgomery, Stewart
(937) 220-5236
csuffelman@gmail.comBrandon Schexnayder
District 23- Williamson
(504) 228-5635
bmschexnayder@gmail.comDonald Farmer
District 24- Gibson, Benton, Carroll, Henry, Obion, Weakley
(731) 234-8411
Don.farmer@hotmail.comGentry Allen
District 25- Dickson, Cheatham, Hickman, Humphreys, Robertson
(615) 636-7291
gentry@superiorcaregivers.netToney Campbell
District 26- Decatur, Chester, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, McNairy
(731) 549-9202
toneyc@tds.netErnest Brooks
District 27- Madison, Crockett, Dyer, Lake, Lauderdale
(731) 293-4187
ebrooks2law@yahoo.comGreg Hanners
District 28- Maury, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Perry, Wayne
(931) 215-2148
hannersg@bellsouth.netDarrick “Dee” Harris
District 29- Shelby
(901) 691-8453
ddharris901@gmail.comBryan Carson
District 30- Shelby
(901) 314-4617
1bryan.carson@gmail.comDave Cambron
District 31- Shelby
(901) 830-3283
davidpcambron@gmail.comJeffery Alen “J” Dewitt II
District 32- Tipton, Shelby
(901) 326-2100
jdewitt@ibewlocal474.comIssac Freeman III
District 33- Shelby
(901) 690-8023
freemanissac2013@gmail.com
Thanks for reading! We’re an independent, reader-supported site that depends entirely on you to help us keep holding our public officials accountable and “Yelling the Truth”, so please consider chipping in a $3, $5, or $10 monthly and we’ll keep telling the stories nobody else will:
