Mariah PhillipsNASHVILLE - Rutherford County teacher and Democrat Mariah Phillips announced today she has raised more than $54,000 for her 2018 race in Tennessee's 4th Congressional District.
Phillips, who hopes to take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., in next year's general election, said she raised the money in the six or so weeks of the second quarter since she formally filed to run.
She noted that's more than her Democratic primary opponent, Steven Reynolds of Murfreesboro, raised during his entire unsuccessful general election race against DesJarlais in 2016.
"I'm proud of the work we did this quarter, but we are just getting started," Phillips said in a news release. "We are going to build a robust and competitive campaign that focuses on real solutions for Tennessee."
Calling it "clear that Washington is broken," Phillips said the largely rural 4th District, which stretches from Bradley County in Southeast Tennessee west to Rutherford County in Middle Tennessee, needs "a representative who cares about our families, not about his political career."
The federal filing deadline for the second quarter, which covers April 1 through June 30, is July 15, Saturday. DesJarlais, a South Pittsburg physician, has yet to file. DesJarlais reported having nearly $149,000 in cash on hand as of March 31.