Phillips raised nearly $150,000 more than the 4-term incumbent in Q3 reporting period

MURFREESBORO, TN – Mariah Phillips, a mother of five and public school teacher running for Congress in Tennessee’s 4th District, raised over $188,000 in the Q3 reporting period. This brings her total fundraising to nearly $500,000, outraising 4-term incumbent Scott DesJarlais for the 2018 cycle. DesJarlais raised just over $40,000 in the same time period. In this period, Phillips received over 3,000 individual contributions to compared to DesJarlais who received less than 30 contributions.

“Everywhere I go, people in the 4th District tell me they are tired of the division in Washington and are ready for a change. That is evident in the level of grassroots support we have received. As a public school teacher, I am proud to have been able to raise half a million dollars from people who want to bring change to the 4th District. I am inspired and grateful for everyone who has invested in our grassroots campaign,” Phillips said of her fundraising haul.

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The Congressman visited his challenger’s classroom when she was just a teacher, but will not debate her as an opponent

MURFREESBORO, TN – On Monday, October 1, just 16 days before early voting starts, Mariah Phillips will appear in a candidate forum, alone. 4-term incumbent Scott DesJarlais has declined an invitation to appear in a forum hosted by the Southern Standard newspaper.

DesJarlais has also declined an invitation from the League of Women Voters to participate in a debate at MTSU, as well as an another opportunity in his home county of Marion offered by the Marion County News.

“It is disappointing, but not surprising, that Congressman DesJarlais doesn’t want to give the voters an opportunity to hear us discuss the issues. He clearly feels more comfortable in Washington DC than he does here in Tennessee, ” said Mariah Phillips, a teacher and mother of five challenging DesJarlais for the 4th District seat.

Phillips added, “Back in 2016, Congressman DesJarlais had no problem coming to visit my classroom and taking questions from my students, so I don’t really understand why we can’t debate. He has voted to throw millions of Americans off of their insurance, remove protections for pre-existing conditions and cut Social Security and Medicare. I’d like to ask him why he took those votes and he owes it to his constituents to explain it.”

In February of 2016, Rep. DesJarlais visited Phillips class at Daniel McKee Alternative school. The visit was covered in the DNJ article seen here:

https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2016/02/22/desjarlais-sponsors-daniel-mckee-students-contest/80747716/

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MURFREESBORO, TN – As Dr. Christine Blasey Ford prepares to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mariah Phillips, a teacher and mother of five running for Congress in Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District, released the following statement:

“For far too long, victims of sexual harassment and assault have been afraid to come forward. Institutions like Congress have created a culture that is predisposed to dismiss accusations and enable abusers rather than protect victims. Dr. Ford is showing tremendous courage by stepping forward to testify about her assault and I want to state clearly that I believe her. The nomination should be put on hold and there should be a full and fair FBI investigation into this case.”

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Right now our government isn’t working. People across the 4th district are struggling to find good paying jobs that will support a family. Hospitals are closing in our rural communities.

Roads and bridges are crumbling from lack of attention and investment. We worry that our community will be the next to find lead in the water at our schools. And yet every time Congress convenes, they can’t seem to do anything to address these problems.

Today is Constitution Day. When I teach my students about the Constitution, I teach them about the wonderful document that our founders created to form most successful democracy in history.

It is a document that cemented the core freedoms and liberties that protect us from tyranny.

I also teach my students that the Constitution has been amended 27 times over the years because the founders made it possible for America to evolve and adapt to changing times. It is good thing they did because otherwise I would not be running for office today, or even be voting in this election, neither would my husband or my children.

The founders set out to write a document that would allow a government of the people, for the people and by the people to grow and prosper, but never lose sight of our core values. Today, groups like the Freedom Caucus and Representatives like Scott DesJarlais have distorted the Constitution.

You see the founders did not intend for lawmakers 240 years later to use the Constitution as an excuse not to govern. They did not intend for the Constitution to be used as an excuse to shutdown the government to take away healthcare from millions of Americans. They did not intend for the Constitution to be used to divide Americans against each other and grind government to a halt.

The founders loved a good debate, but today, the people who claim to revere the founders the most avoid a good debate at all cost. The Speaker of the House won’t even bring a bill up for a vote unless it has a majority of support from his own party.

I can’t think of anything farther from the ideals espoused in the Constitution than one party rule. It is the opposite of everything the founders intended for our legislative process.

I’m running for Congress because I believe in the Constitution and what the founders were fighting for when they wrote it: A healthy, spirited debate on the merits of policy, where elected leaders make their case, and votes are decided after all arguments are heard, and not before.

We are now 30 days until voting starts in one of the most important elections of my lifetime. This election isn’t important because the pundits on TV say so. This election isn’t a referendum on the President or any political party. It’s a referendum to make sure that folks have access to affordable local healthcare. It’s a referendum to preserve the social security and medicare benefits that we all have worked hard to earn. It’s a referendum to make sure our teachers and workers are paid fairly and that we have an economy that ensures people who work hard and play by the rules can get ahead.

It’s a referendum on sending people to Washington who share the values and real-life priorities of their constituents.  We need to send people to Washington who are willing to have tough conversations of compromise, instead of partisan ideologues.

Scott DesJarlais has had eight years in Washington. Thus far, he has done nothing but create more division and chaos, and block Congress from doing anything for the people he represents.

We can get back to government that works as it should, but only if we change the type of person we send to lead us. In Congress, I will go into every debate with an open mind, looking for the best policies to help the people of the 4th district. The Constitution was written to ensure that citizens get good representation, not to be the reason they don’t.

On November 6th, we will send a message that compromise and bipartisanship are not only what the people of Tennessee want, but it’s what the constitution requires. I will listen to every voice in every corner of this district. From Spring Hill to Spring City, Fayetteville to McMinnville –  I will hold town halls, I will hold roundtables, I will take every opportunity I can to listen to the needs of my constituents and work tirelessly to get things done for them in Washington.

As a Mom and a teacher who has worked two jobs to support my family, I’ve always taken my responsibilities seriously, and followed through on my commitments. When I take that oath to to support and defend our Constitution, I will never take it for granted.

Thank you.

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The Shelbyville native says Congress would benefit from more teachers who will focus on solving problems for Tennessee families

SHELBYVILLE, TN – Mariah Phillips is proud to announce the endorsement of Tennessee’s 5th District Congressman and Shelbyville native Jim Cooper in the 4th District race against Rep. Scott DesJarlais.

Cooper said, “Mariah is one of the hardest working candidates I’ve ever seen. Teachers understand the challenges our families and communities are dealing with and they know how to fix them.  She would be a great Member of Congress, and I’m proud to support her candidacy.”

Phillips is a first time candidate who previously taught US Government and Personal Finance in an alternative school in Murfreesboro.

“I’ve watched Congress become more and more dysfunctional over the years, but one person who has always tried to stay above the fray and focus on good policy making is Rep. Jim Cooper. I’m proud to have his endorsement and look forward to helping him break the gridlock in Washington if I’m elected,” Phillips said.

Phillips is also endorsed by former Congressman Bob Clement, the Tennessee AFL-CIO and the People’s House Project. Phillips has outraised her incumbent opponent for two consecutive quarters.

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My story is the story of too many Tennessee families. People are working harder and longer than ever before, and still can’t manage to get ahead, let alone plan for retirement. They have seen our economy turn millionaires into billionaires while their wages have stayed the same and their benefits have gotten worse. The cost of groceries, rent and healthcare go up every year and families can’t keep up. People my age are thinking about how they can help their kids go to college and make sure their parents can live out their golden years with dignity. For a lot of us, it just isn’t possible to do both, and in many cases, to do either.

It didn’t used to be this way. For decades, the United States middle class was the envy of the world. We defined the American Dream as a family that could own a home, take vacations, and have security, all on one income. How many of us can say that today? What changed so much that these very reasonable ideals have become so hard to achieve? The answers lie in changes to policy made in Congress over time, but I think it is simpler than policy. We used to have people serving in Congress who understood the average American family because they lived in one. They came home from DC and talked to their neighbors, went to church on Sundays with their community and shopped in local businesses where they knew the owners.

While Tennesseans are working hard and playing by the rules, Washington isn’t. Our members of Congress eat in places we can’t afford where lobbyists pay the bills. They spend more time in Washington cocktail parties and making fundraising calls then they do talking to the people they represent. Instead of making decisions based on what will help their district, they listen to consultants and party leaders who only care about winning the next election or appeasing big corporate donors. Sadly, the concerns of American families doesn’t make their list of priorities.

I’m a teacher, and a mother, and I’m running for Congress to fight for a fair economy that works for everyone. An economy where families who work hard and play by the rules will get ahead. It is not impossible to restore the dignity of hard work and rebuild the strong, vibrant middle class we once had. But that can only happen if we change the way Washington works, and that means changing the type of people we send there.

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MURFREESBORO: Critical funding used in Tennessee to fight domestic violence is at risk because of a lack of support for an historically bipartisan bill. The Violence Against Women Act, originally passed in 1994, expires at the end of September. As of today, it has no Republican cosponsors.

“It seems like there is no issue that is not partisan anymore,” said Mariah Phillips, a public school teacher and mother of five running for Congress in Tennessee’s 4th District. “This bill provides critical funding for law enforcement and domestic violence shelters that is being used very effectively in Tennessee. We can’t afford to lose it.”

According to the State of Tennessee, STOP Grants (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) created by the Violence Against Women Act fund projects in all three grand divisions and in rural, suburban and urban areas across the state.

“To me, this is exactly the problem with Washington, DC. This is good legislation that is working and it should be continued. I can’t understand why Congressman DesJarlais would not be a cosponsor of a bill with the sole purpose of helping those dealing with domestic violence and bringing abusers to justice,” added Phillips.

As of May 15, 2017, the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs reports STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grants funded the following projects:

• 3 court projects (one of which was a training grant), supporting 10 counties;

• 10 law enforcement projects (7 law enforcement officer grants and 2 law enforcement training grants and 1 hybrid officer/training grant), supporting 13 counties;

• 8 prosecutor projects and one training grant, supporting 22 counties; and

• 13 victim services projects (including 1 grant to a culturally specific project; and two training grants), supporting 48 counties.

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MURFREESBORO, TN – Today, Rep. Jim Jordan, a founder of the freedom caucus, announced he will run for Speaker of the House. Rep. Scott DesJarlais supported Jordan’s past run for Speaker. Jordan has been accused of ignoring sexual abuse accusations during his time as a coach at Ohio State, and just yesterday introduced articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In response to this news, Mariah Phillips released the following statement:

“Jim Jordan has for years led an extremist group of lawmakers who have created much of the partisan gridlock in Washington. They have shut down our government and prevented bipartisan compromise on issues from fixing our immigration system to providing better healthcare. Scott DesJarlais has been a steadfast supporter of Jordan and his destructive approach to governing. Jim Jordan and Scott DesJarlais represent everything wrong with Washington today,” said Mariah Phillips, candidate to replace DesJarlais in TN’s 4th District.

Phillips went on to say, “Additionally, there is an alarming culture among many elected officials in Washington that tolerates sexual harassment and abuse. For far too long, victims of abuse have been afraid to come forward because the people in power enabled their abusers instead of protecting them. Rep. DesJarlais himself has a checkered history of inappropriate behavior and abuse, and he opposed the Violence Against Women Act in 2013. Rep. DesJarlais hasn’t wavered in his support for Jordan since the allegations against him surfaced, and he is clearly part of a culture that cannot continue. If you want to to change the culture of Washington, change the people you send there.”

In February, Phillips released a video on the culture of covering up  sexual harassment and abuse allegations in Washington.

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“America First Policy” Panelists should have to explain the terrible results in TN

MURFREESBORO, TN – As Rep. Scott DesJarlais  participates in a panel with Vice President Pence and other Tennessee members of Congress, Mariah Phillips, a public school teacher and candidate for the 4th Congressional District, released the following statement:

“Tennessee families in the 4th District have been dealing with the fallout from the policies Rep. DesJarlais and Vice President Pence support for years. They have seen rural communities suffer from hospitals closures, seniors on fixed incomes struggle with rising costs, veterans waiting for care because of cuts to the VA, and our young people move away for better opportunities. What they don’t see is Rep. DesJarlais in their cities in towns learning about the challenges they face. He spends most of his time with politicians in Washington while his constituents grow more and more frustrated with a Congress incapable of doing anything to improve their lives. It’s time for new leadership in Washington.”

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Phillips raised $20,000 more than the 4-term incumbent

MURFREESBORO, TN – Mariah Phillips, a public school teacher and candidate for Congress in Tennessee’s 4th District, raised over $76,000 in Q2, bringing her total fundraising to nearly $300,000. The 4-term incumbent, Scott DesJarlais, raised just over $55,000 in the same time period. In total, 1,373 people have made 2,923 individual contributions to the Phillips campaign.

“People in the 4th District are ready for a change and we’re seeing that in the level of grassroots support. As a public school teacher, I’m so grateful to everyone who has invested in this campaign, and to everyone who has volunteered,” Phillips said of her fundraising haul.

The Phillips campaign has gained momentum in recent weeks gaining high profile endorsements from the Tennessee AFL-CIO; Rachel Held Evans, a local author and former faith advisor to President Obama; and former 8-term Congressman Bob Clement.

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