Rachel Hurley

Rachel Hurley is a Democrat running for U.S. House in Tennessee’s newly redrawn District 5 in the 2026 election ¹¹. She describes herself as a "disruptor" challenging the political status quo, citing high incumbent reelection rates and arguing that term limits require incumbents to vote on their own removal ⁸. Hurley states she filed to run in the newly configured district after Republicans redrew Tennessee’s maps to shift power, aiming to address issues such as healthcare, wages, and housing which she claims have not moved forward ⁹.

Hurley characterizes her career as spanning thirty years of building projects "from nothing" without waiting for permission ⁹. Her professional background includes roles at major corporations like MTV and the independent music venue Ardent Studios in Memphis ⁹. She began her public writing career in 2003 with a blog called Rachelandthecity, which won the Memphis Flyer’s Best Blog award three consecutive years, and she wrote a music column for the Commercial Appeal ⁹. Hurley also helped launch a record label, ran publicity for the band Big Star, and started two podcasts that reached hundreds of thousands of listeners ⁹. She has spoken on panels at SXSW, CMJ, and AmericanaFest ⁹.

In 2013, Hurley built MakeMemphis.com, a platform allowing residents to pitch ideas to improve the city, which she organized around with 13,000 people ⁹. In 2019, she started her own public relations agency, noting that she did not chase clients for six years as all business came by referral ⁹.

Hurley states that living two blocks from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, profoundly impacted her perspective ⁹. Since 2021, she has lived in a travel trailer after selling her possessions and trading her Prius for a pickup truck ⁹. She plans to campaign across all 17 counties of District 5 by traveling on the road and meeting voters in person ⁹. Her campaign materials indicate that her policy positions are detailed on her homepage and her writing is published on Substack ⁹.

The Democratic primary field for Tennessee’s 5th District includes Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, DeVante R. Hill, Carrie Ann Iacomini, and Chaz Molder ¹¹. The district now divides Shelby County among Districts 5, 8, and 9 following redistricting ¹¹.

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