Franklin, Tennessee isn’t just home—it’s where I became who I am. I walked the halls of Grassland Middle and Father Ryan High School, studied law just down the road at the Nashville School of Law, and grew up with a deep appreciation for what makes this community special: God, family, country. And I know that those values are worth fighting for.
But sometimes, the fight doesn’t wait for you to be ready—it shows up at your door.
I never planned to leave Franklin. But when I married a Green Beret who served 21 years in the U.S. Army, life became about mission and sacrifice. My husband’s career meant deployments every six months and long stretches of training that kept him away from home. When he received orders for Fort Belvoir, we made the difficult choice to move to Alexandria, Virginia. I knew that if we were living near Washington, I wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines—I was going to serve.
I rebuilt my career from the ground up in the D.C. area, not to become a “swamp creature,” but because I believed that even in the belly of the beast, a constitutional conservative could make a difference. I’ve seen the system from the inside. I’ve worked on the Hill. I know how to navigate the bureaucracy—not because I want to be part of it, but because I want to break through it and deliver real results for real people.
Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District deserves that kind of fighter.
We are a district of contrasts and communities. You can go from shopping at CoolSprings Galleria to riding horseback through Williamson County’s backroads in a matter of minutes. We’re blue-collar and big business, CEOs and cashiers, farmers and factory workers, all bound by the same love of country.
The people of Franklin, Clarksville, Brentwood, Fairview, and Nashville don’t want a show horse—they want a workhorse. Someone who understands that cutting taxes isn’t just a slogan—it’s a lifeline. The Trump tax cuts helped millions of families keep more of what they earned. We need to renew and expand those provisions: immediate expensing for R&D, 100% deductions for equipment and machinery, and child tax credits that help working parents put food on the table.
We need to restore American manufacturing and end our dependence on foreign adversaries. The pandemic and supply chain crises made it clear: outsourcing to China isn’t just bad policy—it’s a national security threat. The One Big Beautiful Bill will supercharge domestic production, lower costs, and strengthen our economy. And yes, it will cut the debt—by more than $6 trillion over ten years.
But the biggest fight we face? Securing our border.
President Trump was right: we must finish the wall, support ICE, and give law enforcement the tools to deport the violent criminals and traffickers flooding our cities. Nashville has become a hotbed for sex trafficking. We can’t look away. We need a representative who will vote to stop the chaos, not enable it.
As a former FRG (Family Readiness Group) leader at Fort Campbell and a military spouse, I know firsthand what military families go through when one of us is deployed. It’s not just the service member who sacrifices—it’s the whole family. That’s why I’m committed to increasing BAH (basic allowance for housing), ending taxes on military retirement, and rebuilding a defense industrial base that prioritizes readiness over red tape.
While some in Washington chase headlines, the people of the 7th District stay focused on what matters: faith, family, and freedom. We’re moms and dads making sacrifices, neighbors supporting each other, and Tennesseans who carry this place in our hearts. In a special election, we have a chance to send a message about who we are and what we stand for.
President Trump laid out a vision for America’s future. Now, it’s up to all of us—whether in a boardroom in Brentwood, a farm in Fairview, or a kitchen table in Clarksville—to come together and make that vision real. This district’s voice is powerful, and it’s time we use it to shape a future that honors our home.
Catherine Treadwell-Perry, Esq., is a Tennessee mother and Green Beret spouse, blends legal expertise and veterans’ advocacy on Capitol Hill, serving as Chief of Staff and General Counsel while championing policies for military families and the warfighter.
