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Clay Faircloth

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Clay Faircloth
Image of Clay Faircloth
Elections and appointments
Last election

August 1, 2024

Education

High school

McGavock High School

Graduate

Trevecca Nazarene University, 2013

Personal
Religion
Christianity
Profession
Pastor and social worker
Contact

Clay Faircloth (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 6th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 1, 2024.

Faircloth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Clay Faircloth earned a high school diploma from McGavock High School and a graduate degree from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2013. His career experience includes working as a pastor, at a Nissan Plant, and career coaching with Metro Nashville. [1][2]

Elections

2024

See also: Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2024

Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Democratic primary)

Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Incumbent John Rose defeated Lore Bergman in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Rose
John Rose (R)
 
68.0
 
225,543
Image of Lore Bergman
Lore Bergman (D) Candidate Connection
 
32.0
 
106,144

Total votes: 331,687
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Lore Bergman defeated Clay Faircloth and Cyril Focht in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on August 1, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lore Bergman
Lore Bergman Candidate Connection
 
42.2
 
8,684
Image of Clay Faircloth
Clay Faircloth Candidate Connection
 
36.3
 
7,474
Image of Cyril Focht
Cyril Focht Candidate Connection
 
21.5
 
4,422

Total votes: 20,580
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Incumbent John Rose advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on August 1, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Rose
John Rose
 
100.0
 
38,607

Total votes: 38,607
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Faircloth in this election.

2022

See also: Tennessee's 6th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Incumbent John Rose defeated Randal Cooper in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Rose
John Rose (R)
 
66.3
 
129,388
Image of Randal Cooper
Randal Cooper (D) Candidate Connection
 
33.7
 
65,675

Total votes: 195,063
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Randal Cooper defeated Clay Faircloth in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Randal Cooper
Randal Cooper Candidate Connection
 
74.7
 
17,332
Image of Clay Faircloth
Clay Faircloth Candidate Connection
 
25.3
 
5,870

Total votes: 23,202
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6

Incumbent John Rose advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 6 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Rose
John Rose
 
100.0
 
57,162

Total votes: 57,162
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released June 1, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Clay Faircloth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Faircloth's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My life’s journey has prepared me to serve as your congressman. As a counselor, pastor, and community engagement influencer my qualifications unite these life experiences creating a more complete reflection of our people. We need a representative who will be able to bring people together, someone who will create a space for cooperation and progress. Someone who will help us move forward as a people and as a nation defending our values, our freedoms and our futures.
  • I’m a free-market realist who understands there must be interventions at some levels during tumultuous times however the norm is to allow our capitalist market to thrive, ever increasing and growing our economy even stronger. I want the government to stay out of my private life. I want a government that spends wisely and focuses on providing safety, supporting our ambitions, and fulfilling the promises of America – not lining the pockets of the rich.
  • Abortion is healthcare. 50 + years of freedoms and rights vanished for over half the people in our nation. We are going backwards as a nation, taking away women’s rights and putting politicians in between the doctor and patient. We can trust women with their doctors to make the right decision without government interference.
  • Other issues: Economy: Focus on building up the middle class; Education: We are better people when we are educated; Healthcare: We must ensure that all Americans have access to quality healthcare. Environment: Climate change is a growing crisis we can no longer deny. Diversity/Human rights: We must push to continue to expand equal rights for all Americans. Immigration: Border control must be reformed and compassionate at the same time. Second Amendment: Guns simply cannot have more freedoms than people; Agriculture: Legalize marijuana at the federal level. Divided Government: Compromise without compromising your principles.
Women's reproductive rights, Agriculture, Education and workforce development, Small business development, Climate change, and Veteran’s affairs.
Clay’s roots run deep. He is a native Middle Tennessean, born and raised in the country, just east of Nashville. Several generations ago, his family moved to our great state to farm and today he and his family still live on some of that land. Working on the farm with Clay’s grandfather and alongside his dad learning plumbing, instilled in him a strong work ethic and taught him the value of a hard earned dollar.
The U.S. House is designed to reflect the real-time interest of Americans. It does this by having each legislator represent approximately the same number of constituents and having short, two year election cycles for the entire body. In theory, this should have the “People’s House” express the will of the Nation as a whole. However, as I stated above about term limits, gerrymandering and the influence of money as corrupted this beautiful structure.
Certainly practicing the craft of representation is served by experience. Political experience can be helpful, but not necessary. If an individual has work with people in other regards, be that social service, activism, or corporate governance, the skills required for those activities translate well to serving the People.
First, climate change is an evolving crisis that had been difficult for the average citizen to perceive, as it continued to gain ground. Now we are living with the consequences of a highly energized atmosphere, with storms raging with greater power. Our commitment to save our planet, and ourselves, will require multiple approaches. Each of us can take responsibility to lower our individual carbon foot print. The Federal Government can continue to incentive corporations and individuals to take actions that will insure a healthy plant for our future generations.

Secondly, income disparity continues to syphon more and more of our economic prosperity into the hands of fewer and fewer Americans. We must use policy to level the economic playing field to improve the incomes of working Americans. We do not want to disincentivize the free market, however forty years of trickle down economics has failed. Now is the time to continue the good work of the Biden administration to turn this around. The fact is this: if you look at the health of the economy over the last century, it has been at its best when Democrats are in control of the government.

Third, when the Reagan Administration deregulated media, the news industry became a for-profit enterprise. Before those changes, news was a public service, required by the government in exchange for rights to the airwaves. Over the decades, news has become infotainment, vying for dollars over truth. This naturally lead to selling shock value and messaging which reinforces individual personal perspectives, siloing news sources among Americans. We now are suffering the consequence, reflected in extreme partisanship, which is damaging our unity as Americans. In truth, we Americans are more similar than dissimilar, though it doesn’t seem that way in the new. The solution is to reintroduce the regulations that worked in the past to insure that all American are able to access balance news that speaks to truth.
Yes. Reengage constituents every two years via an election, allows Representatives to listen to their voter’s needs, and gives the voters ultimate authority over the job the Representative has done.
The underlying principal of representative government must be protected from entrenched self-interested politicians. It is far to easy, once in power, for the corrupting influence of money to give incumbents an advantage that overwhelms the ballet box. Politicians can drift away from representing their constituents to serving monied interest. One way to combat this problem is through term limits. However, a better way would be to use the technique of rank voting, combined with independent redistricting commissions to avoid gerrymandering. This would allow for fair fights at every election, insuring that the voters voice is the most powerful influence for our elected officials.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was the first African-American Congressman from New York. He was instrumental is helping pass landmark social and civil rights legislation under both the Kennedy and Johnson administration.
I do community engagement at Metro Nashville. Outside my workplace one morning I noticed a woman sitting nearby. I asked her if she had been helped by one of my colleagues. She had, but was overwhelmed with the process to get the help we provide. With empathy, I replied, I'm sure it's frustrating, and then she shared with me "What really frustrates me is having to decide whether to buy my brother's diabetes medication or eat this week." I said, “You are the reason I am running for Congress.” I introduced myself and she said " So you're Clay Faircloth?! I’ve heard you want to help. Please help us."
There is no question that a healthy two party system works. When individual legislators bring their ideas and mutual respect for each other’s point-of-view, America wins in the compromise. The notion that “it’s my way or the highway” is foolish and smacks of arrogance. Politician who subscribe to this obstinance are self-interest and should be voted out of office.
The Federal Government has the unique power to direct money for improving our economy, our opportunity for individuals, and provide a safety net when needed. My priorities are focused on everyday working Americans. We need to provide good jobs, particularly in our rural communities. We need to insure that all American’s have access to quality healthcare in their neighborhoods, and we need to incentive businesses to do their part to reduce carbon emissions
There is no question that a basic human fragility is our susceptibility to corruption. When given the immense opportunity to represent the people, that weakness can give way to bad behavior. It is our responsibility to police ourselves to insure our righteousness stays in check, the corrupting influence of power is monitored. We must apply ethical standards to investigation, and not political standards. Using investigations as political theater is wrong and waste of your tax dollars.
6.1. Agriculture, Appropriations, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Small Business, and Veteran’s Affairs.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Faircloth’s campaign website stated the following:

Issues & Priorities
These are my positions. I’m a free-market realist who understands there must be interventions at some levels during tumultuous times however the norm is to allow our capitalist market to thrive ever increasing and growing our economy even stronger. I want the government to stay out of my private life. I want a government that spends wisely and focuses on providing safety, supporting our ambitions, and fulfilling the promises of America, – not lining the pockets of the rich.

Economy
Most Tennesseans are struggling to make ends meet. Housing is unaffordable. Wages are not keeping up with inflation. Thirty years of trickle-down economics didn’t work. All it did was make the rich richer. Thankfully the current administration has focused resources to build up the middle class and provide economic opportunity to our district. They have made real progress on reducing inflation.

When I’m your Representative we will continue to push for your economic prosperity. To pay for this we need corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share. We must continue to level the playing field for all our citizens! The good news is talent is equally distributed all across our district. Our focus is to help that talent flourish with continued investments in education, economic opportunity, and rebuilding our infrastructure.

86 people a day moved to the greater Nashville area in 2023, and there are currently over 30,000 job openings in this same area. We need to focus more on workforce development to ensure those who are already here have an opportunity to participate in the success of our city as well.

Education
We are better people when we are educated.
Our ability to prosper is directly tied to education. All Our children should have access to high quality education. We must invest more in those who educate, and lead our public schools! We need to assure teachers are valued and compensated for their worth. Supporting teacher unions is vital and everyone should want the best trained teachers who are paid their worth.

Our children must have access to the best facilities and to the most advanced technologies. Our schools must be safe from guns yes, but also the hate that condemns and vilifies those who are different. Public schools are one of our greatest assets. We must support every effort to educate our people so we can continue to thrive as democratic republic.

Healthcare
We must ensure that all Americans have access to quality healthcare.
The Supremacy Clause should preempt any attempt by a state to not allow its citizens access to this basic human right other Americans have access to where they reside. Every person in our nation deserves to have access to basic healthcare. Routine screenings and check-ups for all families should be the norm not the exception.

Our children, our seniors, those most vulnerable to disease should not be denied this basic right. The rich pharmaceutical industry has been ripping us off for too long. Once again, the rich are bleeding you with their greed, taking advantage of your critical need for medicines. The administration has intervened and forced the drug companies to provide the same low prices they sell medicine to all other countries.

I will make sure we continue to make progress providing you access and affordability. Our hospital deserts must be eradicated to once again become oasis of rest, especially for our rural communities. More investment must be made in facilities and hiring & training staff. There are entrepreneurial medical experts who are working on innovative ways to bring medical care to your neighborhoods. The administration has committed resources to seed these efforts through the CARES act. Out of my office we will continue to push for the expansion of the resources to bring medical care back to your neighborhood.

Reproductive Rights
Women must have the right to choose.
Abortion is healthcare. 50 + years of freedoms and rights vanished for over half the people in our nation. We are going backwards as a nation, taking away women’s rights and putting politicians in between the doctor and patient. We can trust women with their doctors to make the right decision without government interference.

In office, I will work to make sure the government stays out of your private lives and stops interfering and limiting your rights. We must do more to ensure access to medical screenings, family planning, and access to contraceptives to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.

Public Safety
Properly fund our law enforcement.
We must invest in the safety of our people. Safe streets, neighborhoods, schools, community events, and places of business should be a given. Every person has the right to participate in our society and expect certain freedoms and rights. As a nation we must continually balance people’s freedom with others’ rights. Accountable gun laws and stricter sentencing guidelines will make us safer as a society as does following proper speed limit laws and using common sense while operating a vehicle should be a given.

Second Amendment
Guns simply cannot have more freedoms than people.
I own guns. I grew up around them and many of my extended family are hunters. 47% of Tennesseans own guns. But guns should not have more freedoms and rights than people. Our obsessed fever with the bullet must be broken. We are in a viscous cycle of fear driving us to purchase more and more guns. Gun safety training needs to be mandatory for the right to own a gun – just like getting a driver’s license. Parents must lock up their guns. Red flag laws need to become the norm. Most of us get it. Most of us want sensible regulation. We regulate vehicle ownership. There is simply no reason why we can’t do the same for guns.

Environment
Climate change is a growing crisis we can no longer deny.
What a blessing it is that we have some of the most spectacular landscape in the country. Ours is the luxury to walk outside and, in the words of John Denver, to “talk to God and listen to the casual reply”. We are designed by our Creator to care for our planet. Climate change is real. We must stand for clean air to breathe, and safe water to drink. We must lower our carbon footprint. We have an obligation to future generations to give them the same opportunity to enjoy and protect our beautiful district. We must do more to invest in clean energy and encourage each of us to do our part to fulfill our responsibility to our environment.

Immigration
Fund border control.
Homeland Security should be one of our top priorities. Border control policy must be updated and fully funded by Constitutional mandate to the Legislative branch while the President has the responsibility to ensure our nation is safe.

We are a nation of immigrants. People from every nation and tribe provide us the strength and diversity required to continue the great promise of America where all are free to pursue life, liberty, and their own happiness. Today, our immigration system is broken. We must do more to ensure safe legal immigration opportunities continue. People who are legitimately fleeing persecution, corruption, and at best a bleak existence in some of their home countries need to be welcomed. Those who game the system need to be sent back. As a nation, we should do more to ensure safe passage for immigrants and to help alleviate the issues driving people from their homes. But this doesn’t mean open borders for drugs to flow over Illegal immigration must be stopped. We know how to do it. We need to get it done. Now.

Human Rights
We must push to continue to expand equal rights for all Americans.
Each person is created in the image of God and has value and worth. It is the diverse nature of our people, of our combined cultures that makes us the greatest nation on earth. Most people in the world today would give anything for a chance to live in the United States.

As a person of faith, I am encouraged by people who worship God differently than I do. I am glad we are not forced to a national religion or one religion. The bible actually warns of this apocalyptic occurrence. We must continue to hold the Separation of Church and State as our founding fathers intended.

A person’s sexual orientation or gender should not define their rights. People should be able to love who they love; marry whomever they choose and express their sexuality/gender as they are inclined. This basic human right needs to be put into law and not judicial decree.

Voting Rights
Voter apathy is a problem we can fix.
The Tennessee Republican super majority cullied 22% of the voter base in Davidson County – 90,000 individuals. This is a bold-faced effort to stop people from voting. We can’t let them get away with this. We must urge our friends and family to register and to vote. This is a sacred rite of the American Way. This is rare in the world. Every citizen should be able to vote without discrimination or other obstructions. We should ensure access to early voting and provide more voting locations. We need to support every means of voting and promote greater civic engagement to gain even greater voter participation. Registering to vote on-line and in a timely fashion before an election should be available.

Criminal Justice Reform
We must implement equal justice for all.
If someone finds themselves on the wrong side of the law and has proven to be ready for a fresh start, we should be there for them. You do the time if you do the crime does not mean a life sentence of lost basic human rights! The right to vote, to own or rent a home and to gain skills toward employment should be extended once again. Working to reduce recidivism and enacting just sentencing guidelines along with pushing for continued prison reform would be one way we hope to help our communities. We taxpayers spend over Thirty-Six Thousand Dollars a year to house one inmate. Let’s focus on supporting those who can escape the cycle to stay out of prison.

Agriculture
Legalize marijuana at the federal level.
Farming in Tennessee continues to be more than just a way of life; It’s big business! One of Tennessee’s fastest growing economic indexes shows Tennessee as a leader in agricultural exports. While cotton is still king, there is growth throughout the agricultural market for many products produced in our Middle Tennessee region like cattle and poultry. The legalization of marijuana on a federal and state level would go a long way in helping many in our district realize the potential of their land’s value and provide income as a new breed of farmer.

National Security
We have the greatest military in the world. Let’s keep it that way.
The federal government must continue to employ all means to provide and secure the safety of all United States citizens at home and abroad. Americans should have the freedom to live their lives and pursue their dreams without fears of foreign interference in our country. This includes in our civic engagements and discourses whether public or private. Our security now includes more than just protection from an enemy who would invade our shores, now the enemy invades our homes, our lives, our hearts via our social media connections. Here is an area where we need to invest more time and research to gain more insight and control over the adverse effects.

Divided Government
Compromise without compromising your principles.
We have a two-party system of government. It doesn’t work when there’s no cooperation or hope of compromise to move forward legislation and do the work of the people. We need to be more engaged and hold accountable those elected to serve no matter what ideology, party, or principles they support. Our nation is stronger for our differences and the friction of progress is sometimes left unrealized when one party wields too much power for too long. Electing common sense people willing to work together toward progress is our only hope.

Federal Debt
Stop spending beyond our means.
One of our greatest enemies is our own inability to manage our money. Our government has a spending problem. We must do more to reduce our debt and improve our credit standing. A renewed look at how we finance our country, our economy, and move our country forward is much needed. Fair taxation is possible and will go a long way toward improving our financial footing.

Taxes
Make sure the rich pay their fair share.
No one likes to pay taxes. But it is our responsibility to pay for the services we share – Defense, safety, education, infrastructure. Our problem is the tax structure is not fair. Giant corporations and rich people pay less taxes than a schoolteacher. They have fancy lawyers and accountants to help them skirt responsibility and saddle us with their bill. This must change. Corporations need to pay for their freedoms too, always remember Freedom isn’t Free. [3]

—Clay Faircloth’s campaign website (2024)[4]

2022

Candidate Connection

Clay Faircloth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Faircloth's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I'm Clay Faircloth, I am a native Tennessean from Nashville. I have a masters' in counseling from Trevecca University and I am currently working in the urban areas helping at risk families learn skills to help them thrive rather than just survive.

I am a husband, father, POPS, a pastor, and counselor. I have worked in the trades, built automobiles, managed people, processes. Created policies and implemented new programs. I am a leader who while leading by example is ready and willing to do the hands on work as well.

Check out our website for even more info: clayforcongress.org
  • WE have more in common (shared values) with one another as Americans than what separates us. Let's focus on those core ideas we can work on together to craft common sense bills and eventual laws that will help protect our country and benefit our people.
  • I am willing to work with others in our government to better represent your voice in Washington DC
  • I am for Freedom ( all people should control all decisions about their own heath and their own body) I am for Families....We must do a better job of educating and equipping people to become parents (Planned Parenthood supporter) and lastly here in my third message...I am running to help you have a better life. A more level playing field where people have an opportunity to thrive and realize their potential and reach their goals for their life.
Fiscal responsibility is important to all of us. We must have a solid foundation on which to build even more programs and policies that will lift up struggling families, protect our minorities and help our country continue to achieve success in growth and in helping us as a society overcome some of the issues we face.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Faircloth for Congress, "About Clay," accessed July 17, 2024
  2. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 21, 2024
  3. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. Faircloth’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed July 17, 2024


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