Media
Darden Copeland Pitches Himself as a Political Outsider in First Campaign Ad
Nashville Banner | Sarah Grace Taylor
September 23, 2025
“While his opponents benefit from name recognition and experience in office, Copeland has campaigned on the idea that their time in office is actually a liability, and he, with a clean slate, can be more effective in Congress.
In his first campaign ad, Copeland continues that messaging, calling himself a ‘businessman, not a politician’ and telling voters, “if we want to change the tone in Washington, we need to change who we send there.”
Copeland’s ad also looks toward the general election, knocking “MAGA” Republicans, or those aligned with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. Each of the 11 Republicans running in the primary strongly identifies as pro-Trump, and those who have bought ads have focused their messaging on aligning with the president.”
3 Democratic Candidates for Congress Discuss Data Centers, Workers’ Rights, Immigration at Clarksville Forum
Clarksville Now | Jordan Renfro
September 16, 2025
“During the forum, Copeland weighed in on the recent surge of data centers across Tennessee and the impact on utility bills and the environment, stating that the Tennessee Valley Authority needs to get serious about renewable energy and solar development.
‘The Green Invest Program is great, but we need more utility scales, solar energy development in the TVA marketplace if we’re going to have meaningful power generation,’ Copeland said. ‘AI and data centers? They’re not going anywhere. We have to figure out where they’re located. Some of that’s going to be a local decision, and some of that’s going to be federal. TVA has to be a partner in that, and my commitment would be to absolutely work with localities to figure out how these things can be regulated the right way.’
Copeland spoke about the steps he would take in Congress to protect peoples’ rights to privacy and interstate travel as AI and datamining tech expands, explaining that the laws need to be updated, and while there’s no national law currently on federal surveillance, localities are debating surveillance through traffic cameras and license plate readers.”
District 7 Candidate Darden Copeland’s Answers to Questions Facing Congress
Nashville Banner | Banner Staff
September 10, 2025
“‘The [Big Beautiful Bill] reduces federal revenues by $4.5 trillion and adds $4 trillion to the U.S. debt over the next decade, primarily by extending tax cuts to the very wealthy and by cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits to the very needy. This is on top of the $8 trillion added to the debt during the President’s first term. Americans are tired of politicians running for Congress pledging fiscal responsibility, but completely abandoning their promises after the election’
‘The $1T in cuts to Medicaid is foolish and will resurface in greater costs elsewhere. People who use Medicaid for healthcare will now use ERs for basic healthcare and hospitals will either seek greater charity care support from Congress or close down, especially rural facilities. Congress should restore funding to Medicaid. SNAP benefits should be similarly restored largely because they benefit children more than adults. Congress should focus on the 10% of benefits lost to waste/fraud, not cut the 90% that truly reach needy families.’”
Democratic 7th Congressional District Candidates Pitch Platforms at Forum
Nashville Post | Hamilton Matthew Masters
September 10, 2025
“‘We need to pick up this seat, and we can’t give [Republicans] another year of winning votes and cutting working-class and bread-and-butter issues and funding out of what’s been approved by Congress,’ Copeland said in July. ‘They’re winning by one and two and three votes, so this election really matters.’
‘We’re at a point where politicians are picking their voters and not letting voters pick their politicians,’ Copeland told the Williamson Scene following the Fairview forum. ‘But I think that’s the reason that I’m going to every corner of the district.’”
Darden Copeland Sets Up for ‘Fed Up Townhall Tour’ in Bid for Congress
Smokey Barn News
September 4, 2025
“Darden Copeland has announced a series of 19 town halls across all 14 counties of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District as part of his campaign for Congress, including Robertson County. Copeland is running in the upcoming special election to replace Rep. Mark Green. ‘My campaign is going to every county to listen to the voters and hear what matters to them’, Copeland said.”
3 Democratic Candidates for Congress Tell Clarksville Town Hall How They Can ‘Flip This Seat’
Clarksville Now | Christian Brown
August 21, 2025
“Copeland explained while he’s not an elected official, he still wants to represent the community of District 7. ‘I’ve never run for anything in my life,’ Copeland said, ‘but I worked for Democrats getting into elected office from 1997 to around 2004.’ For the past 20 years, he’s worked for a public affairs firm based out of Nashville. ‘I built a business; my wife’s built a business … and we have a math problem in District 7: It’s 25% of Davidson County, that stretches up to Kentucky, all the way down to Alabama. Fourteen counties, or portions thereof, and I think I’m the Democrat that can win,’ he said.”
Businessman Joins 7th Congressional District Primary
Tennessee Bar Association Law Blog | Azya Thornton
August 11, 2025
“Nashville businessman Darden Copeland has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming Congressional District 7 primary, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Copeland, founder of Calvert Street Group, a Nashville public affairs firm specializing in referendums and land use campaigns, filed his campaign committee statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on July 24. His announcement comes after weeks of speculation and adds to a growing field of candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from Congress on July 20. The primary election is set for Oct. 7, with the general election scheduled for Dec. 2.”
Nashville businessman Darden Copeland enters Democratic primary in Congressional District 7
Tennessee Lookout | J. Holly McCall
August 8, 2025
Nashville businessman Darden Copeland announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming Congressional District 7 primary.
“‘Politicians are more interested in fighting each other than fighting for their constituents. This district has been taken for granted by politicians more interested in scoring points than solving problems,’ Darden said. ‘Tennessee’s working families are being squeezed by rising costs and health care that is out of reach. I’m running to change that.’
Copeland founded Calvert Street Group, a Nashville public affairs firm. The group primarily operates referendums and land use campaigns. A native of Virginia, he has worked on the campaigns of Democrats including former U.S. Sen.Tim Kaine of Virginia, former Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, and former Vice-President Al Gore.
Copeland has been expected to announce his candidacy for the last few weeks, and he filed his campaign committee statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on July 24.
He joins state Reps. Aftyn Behn, Rep. Vincent Dixie and Rep. Bo Mitchell in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who recently retired.
On the Republican side, 18 candidates will vie for the GOP nomination, including state Reps. Jody Barrett, Lee Reeves and Gino Bulso, former Rep. Brandon Ogles and former Commissioner of General Services Matt Van Epps.
The primary election is scheduled for Oct. 7 and the general election for Dec. 2. For election details and voter registration deadlines, go to the Tennessee Secretary of State.”
Photo by Hamilton Matthew Masters
Williamson Scene | Sydney Carroll
July 20, 2025
“Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Franklin’s Bicentennial Park on Saturday for the ‘Good Trouble Marches On’ rally hosted by the Williamson County Democratic Party (WCDP) and Indivisible TN District Seven. The march was held in conjunction with more than a thousand other similar events across the country, the title commemorating civil rights movement leader Rep. John Lewis’ iconic call to create ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’”
The many lives of Darden Copeland, the man behind the fairgrounds fixation
Nashville Scene | Stephen George
March 31, 2011
“Standing six feet and change, with a frat-boy flop of brown hair, Darden Copeland tried to calm the crowd assembled on the mezzanine outside Metro Council chambers. It was a cold January night, but all anyone felt was heat.
It was only a few hours into one of the longest and most roundly attended council meetings in Nashville history, and some 700 people in total had stood ready to speak their piece about the future of the 117-acre fairgrounds. Now it looked like that wasn't going to happen, even though they'd been promised — or at least led to believe along the way — that every single one of their voices needed to be heard.
And the people — boy, they were riled. Many wore the red T-shirts that highlighted the "Save My Fairgrounds" movement amid the crush of people (estimated in hindsight around 3,000) at the Courthouse that Tuesday night, Jan. 18. Many had taken up the Tennessee State Fairgrounds property, right or wrong, as their own hometown Alamo. Try telling the defenders of the Alamo to stand down.”