Former Nashville mayor Megan Barry talks return to politics: ‘Now is the right time’

Blake Eason
·2 min read
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry made news back in December after she officially launched a campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R).

“Now is the right time,” Barry said. “I look at the dysfunction in Washington and I think people want a government that’s going to work, and so enough of the chaos, and I want to run to be apart of the solution.”

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Barry’s return to politics created much conversation after she resigned as mayor in 2018 after pleading guilty to felony theft, which was related to her affair with a member of security detail.

“I own everything I did,” Barry said. “My hope is the voters out there are believers in second chances and it’s my goal and my role to convince people I’m the right person for the job.”

Before Barry resigned as mayor, she suffered the loss of her son Max to an opioid overdose. She said she’s hoping to use this as an opportunity to have conversations and inspire change in Washington when it comes to substance abuse.

Megan Barry hopes her family’s loss can help erase stigma surrounding addiction

“That year, we were one of 75,000 families that lost someone that year, but last year, it was over 100,000, so it’s not getting better,” Barry said on the topic of opioid overdoses.

Hoping to represent District 7 in Congress, Barry joined Good Morning Nashville to talk about her return to politics and what she’s hoping to bring to Washington.

Watch the entire discussion above.

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Barry served as first female Mayor of Nashville from September 2015 to March 2018.

We invited Congressman Mark Green on Good Morning Nashville, and although he was unavailable, he agreed to join us for a sit down interview at a later date.

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