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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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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Dayton, TN – Rachel Held Evans, a former faith advisor to President Obama and best selling author from Dayton, TN, endorsed Mariah Phillips in her campaign for Congress in Tennessee’s 4th District.

“The people of Tennessee’s 4th District deserve someone who will go to work for them every day and represent their interests with integrity, which is why I endorse Mariah Phillips for Congress. Watching Mariah, a schoolteacher and mother of five, travel across the district for months, learning everything she can about what’s important to its citizens, has convinced me she has what it takes to reach across the aisle and actually get something done in Washington,” Evans said.

Evans served on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and has written New York Times bestselling books focused on her faith.

“As a person of faith for whom the value of life and the protection of human rights is of utmost importance, I believe Mariah has the personal integrity it takes to address the most pressing moral issues of our time in a practical and consistent way,” added Evans.

Phillips said of Evans endorsement, “Rachel has been inspiration for many people across the 4th District through her writing and service in the Obama administration. She sets a great example for our youth of what they can accomplish if they set their sights high. I’m very proud to have her support.”

Read Evans full statement here.

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Mariah’s work ethic and character stand in stark contrast to Scott Desjarlais, who, on the taxpayer’s dime, has passed no significant legislation, has been mired in personal scandal, and whose voting record helped explode the federal deficit. Mariah won’t get sidetracked by the petty partisanship and rigid ideology than slow Washington down.  Instead, she’ll stay laser-focused on solutions: for safer and better-funded public schools, for more affordable healthcare, for a living wage, and for fixing our broken immigration system in a way that preserves both human dignity and the law.

As a person of faith for whom the value of life and the protection of human rights is of utmost importance, I believe Mariah has the personal integrity it takes to address the most pressing moral issues of our time in a practical and consistent way. This woman is no hypocrite! She practices what she preaches. I’ll sleep better at night knowing  Mariah Phillips is representing my family’s interests, and the interests of my friends and neighbors, in Congress.

–       Rachel Held Evans

Bestselling author and member of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

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