Nashville Lawyer Reveals Board for New Political Venture to Support Moderate Candidates

This June, Nashville attorney Chloe Akers unveiled the board for her new political venture, “The Best of Tennessee.” The board consists of key figures from both the Republican and Democratic parties, giving credence to the initiative’s intent to back moderate candidates from both sides of the political spectrum. Members include former Republican state senator Jim Tracy and the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Mike McWherter.

Striving for a balanced political landscape

According to Akers, the organization’s mission is to move Tennessee’s politics away from the extreme ends of the spectrum. She believes that the newly appointed board is a potent illustration of unity between Republicans and Democrats. Through this, Akers hopes politicians can shift focus toward what’s best for the state, steering clear of partisan obsessions.

The Best of Tennessee is a reinvention of an earlier venture by Akers, “The Liminal Plan,” which was established in 2023 to combat extremism and endorse candidates with a stance on issues related to reproductive rights, Medicaid expansion, and gun safety legislation. The previous effort earned Akers some criticism after she was accused of spending a large fraction of the funds raised on consulting services, a portion of which went to her own consulting firm.

Ambitious three-part initiative

Akers’s new initiative is a three-pronged endeavor. The Best of Tennessee, Inc., a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, aims to boost voter turnout. Meanwhile, The Best of Tennessee Action Fund, a Super PAC, plans to use independent expenditures to endorse candidates. Lastly, The Best of Tennessee Victory Fund, another PAC, intends to identify and support potential candidates who can provide “pragmatic and effective leadership.”

Similar to Tennessee’s education reform groups such as the Tennessee Federation for Children and TennesseeCan, The Best of Tennessee makes us of a 501(c)4 structure, which permits fundraising without disclosing the donors and expenditure without providing detailed reports.

Comprehensive board list

Apart from McWherter and Tracy, the board of The Best of Tennessee comprises Susan Miller Bush of Knoxville, a former executive at Bush Brothers & Company; Murfreesboro’s Gerald Coggin, a retired individual from National Healthcare Corporation; former Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger of Chattanooga; Kim Kaegi from Nashville who founded Kaegi Resources, a Republican fundraising firm; and Brentwood’s Jeff McGruder, the chief relationship officer for Citizens National Bank.

The comprehensive list continues with Elliott Moore of Bristol, a consultant in the healthcare industry; Jim Seabury from Nashville, currently the Chairman and CEO of Enterprise Electric; and Nashville’s Susan Simons, a philanthropist.

With this politically diverse board, The Best of Tennessee is confidently stepping forward to reshape Tennessee’s political landscape by fostering a spirit of unity amidst the existing partisan divides.