Celebs energize women for Megan Barry in mayor's race

Megan Barry's bid for mayor of Nashville received a boost Sunday from two celebrities who delivered a message to voters: Now is the time to elect the city's first woman mayor.

Actress Connie Britton and musician Emmylou Harris introduced Barry to a crowd of 400 Sunday at Cabana in Hillsboro Village for a "Women for Barry" fundraising event that perhaps stands as the largest campaign event in Nashville's mayoral race to date.

"I'm a huge advocate for women in office," Britton told the crowd. "I'm a huge advocate for qualified women in office, and I'm a huge advocate for qualified women in office in Nashville. And I know that everybody in this room knows how truly fortunate we are that we have all of those things in Megan Barry."

Barry, a two-term Metro councilwoman who draws support from liberals and Democrats, is one of two women running in the August mayoral election. The other is business executive Linda Eskind Rebrovick. Several candidates have held events aimed at energizing women, but none with the star power and numbers as Barry's.

"Yes, it would be great to have a woman mayor, but I don't think she should be elected just because she's a woman," Harris said. "I think it's because she's the most qualified.

"But I would like to say, it doesn't hurt that she's a woman," she added with a smile. "That extra advantage of having all those wonderful qualities that we have known in the women who inspired us in our lives."

Actress Ashley Judd was originally scheduled to share in headlining Sunday's event, but she was not in attendance. According to the Barry campaign, Judd (who was seen on national television Saturday night cheering on Kentucky in the NCAA men's basketball tournament) was under the weather.

The Barry event — which came two days before Tuesday's first quarter fundraising reporting deadline — began with a two-minute video that featured women touting Barry's candidacy.

Story continues after photo

Britton, star of the television drama "Nashville," is a relative newcomer to the city. She said she first met Barry last year at a rally against the Tennessee constitutional amendment (that ultimately passed) that gave lawmakers more power to restrict and regulate abortions.

"I was like, who's this ballsy woman?" Britton said. "This is somebody I've got to get to know."

Barry started off her brief remarks by recalling that moment: "I was going to remind Connie that the first time we met, I told her that maybe she should talk to the 'Nashville' writers and they could write in a mayor who is a woman.

"I believe that history shows us that women are just as capable of running a business, running a city and running a country," Barry said later in her speech. "I would be honored to be the first women elected mayor of Nashville, but that's not why I'm running. And I know all of you in this room are here to support me because we believe in the same things."

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.