Nashville advocate mulls Democratic challenge against U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles

A Nashville advocate and chair of the Metro Human Relations Commission is considering a Democratic congressional bid to challenge U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles' incumbency in Tennessee's 5th Congressional District.

Maryam Abolfazli confirmed to The Tennessean she is mulling a bid for the seat ahead of the April 4 qualifying deadline for the Aug. 1 primary.

Abolfazli has emerged as a mainstay at the Tennessee Capitol through her work with the civic engagement nonprofit Rise and Shine Tennessee, which she founded. She said people have reached out to her to consider a run, "frustrated at Ogles' representation."

Meanwhile, the recent IVF debacle out of Alabama weighed heavily on her, Abolfazli said, in addition to continued inaction on issues at the state level.

"As a woman and a mom, it feels now or never. It just does. I don’t know what else they’re going to do, and if I sit here for two more years, so many things will happen. I’m clear on that now," Abolfazli said in an interview. "How many women, across political party, came to the legislature begging for change, and it didn't matter? And it’s the same at the federal level. Tennesseans are ready for somebody to care about the issues they care about."

For two decades, Abolfazli worked in international economic and political development in Eurasia and the Middle East, before she relocated home to Nashville from Washington, D.C., with her son. Abolfazli said her development experience means she can bring "nuts and bolts" policy chops to the table, in addition to her current work as a citizen organizer.

"I definitely believe in the people, the power of people, and bringing that to bear in creating new policy and fighting policy," Abolfazli said.

After the Covenant School shooting in March, Abolfazli emerged as a frontline advocacy leader, organizing one of several gun safety protests on March 30, 2023, that brought thousands of Tennesseans to the state Capitol. She continued to organize protsts through the ensuing Tennessee Three protest and expulsion proceedings.

In the months after, Abolfazli helped found a new nonprofit called Rise and Shine Tennessee to encourage civic engagement in state politics. Abolfazli said it was "very clear Tennesseans were united in their grief and hope for change," but she and others on the Rise board saw a need in "demystifying" democracy for people who weren't familiar with the legislative process.

"It's very intimidating to engage in the civic process," Abolfazli said. "We’ve tried to remove that intimidation. We’ve seen so many moms, so many Tennesseans, engage in deep and meaingful ways that they hadn’t before."

Abolfazli has been a regular presence in General Assembly committee meetings and floor sessions since last March. In August, she sued Tennessee after she and two others were removed from a special session House committee for holding paper signs advocating for gun safety reform.

The lawsuit led a Davidson County judge to temporarily block House Republicans from enforcing their sign ban, and House leadership did not bring back the rule for the 2024 regular session.

Still, despite her advocacy experience at the state Capitol, Abolfazli feels she could have the most impact for Tennesseans at the federal level. Democrats are trying to retake control of the U.S. House, where Republicans have a razor-thin majority. In Tennessee, Democrats are in the superminority in the legislature.

"I think there are more levers there right now," Abolfazli said. "There are levers there when it comes to gun safety, when it comes to women’s issues. I want to fight those there so it trickles down to our state, so we have a voice of reason representating our state up there. I don’t feel Tennesseans are represented there."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Maryam Abolfazli of Nashville considers Democratic bid for Congress