Author

Holly McCall has been a fixture in Tennessee media and politics for decades. She covered city hall for papers in Columbus, Ohio and Joplin, Missouri before returning to Tennessee with the Nashville Business Journal. She has served as political analyst for WZTV Fox 17 and provided communications consulting for political campaigns at all levels, from city council to presidential. Holly brings a deep wealth of knowledge about Tennessee’s political processes and players and likes nothing better than getting into the weeds of how political deals are made.
Nearing Election Day, the thrill is gone
By: Holly McCall - August 1, 2022
Election Day used to feel like Christmas Day to me. As far back as I can remember, the day was an exciting one. My parents voted religiously, my dad in the brief window between arriving home from work and the 7 p.m. poll closures. Mom, who didn’t work in my early childhood years, had no […]
Blackburn and Hagerty owe Tennesseans answers about their place on Giuliani’s call list
By: Holly McCall - July 26, 2022
Televised hearings of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol have produced some shocking moments. Testimony Thursday revealed that members of then-Vice President Mike Pence’s security detail made personal calls to family members at the height of the attack to tell them goodbye, so worried were they for their […]
Lukewarm Lee’s failure to take a stand may cost him his career
By: Holly McCall - July 11, 2022
I’ve spent a great deal of time over the last couple of weeks pondering the conundrum that is Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. During that time, Lee has faced a barrage of criticism for his failure to repudiate comments by the president of Hillsdale College, Larry Arnn, the latter of whom was captured on video at […]
Independence Day 2022
By: Holly McCall - July 4, 2022
July 4 marks the most sacrosanct of American holidays, Independence Day, the day on which the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence from England and created America. The day has always been one of patriotic displays with red, white and blue bunting, parades, fireworks and political speeches about how we live in the […]
Metro Nashville Council to consider contract with Republican National Committee
By: Holly McCall - June 25, 2022
The Metro Nashville Council will hold first reading on a bill to approve a contract with the Republican National Committee for Nashville to host the 2024 Republican National Convention. First reading of the ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Robert Swope, who served as state director for former President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016, is set for […]
Former state lawmaker Sheila Butt sued for defamation
By: Holly McCall - June 23, 2022
(Story updated June 24 with comment from Butt added.) Former Republican state representative Sheila Butt, now a candidate for Maury County mayor, has been sued for defamation of character by another mayoral candidate. David Baker, a minister and former volunteer chaplain at the Maury County Jail, filed suit in Maury County Circuit Court on Wednesday, […]
Editor’s column: Sen. Rick Scott is Trump 2.0
By: Holly McCall - June 20, 2022
If you think former President Donald Trump was bad for America, let me tell you about Rick Scott. Scott is the first term U.S. senator from Florida and former two-term governor. He was in Nashville Friday to speak at the Faith and Freedom “Road to Majority” event that also featured Trump as its keynote speaker […]
Editor’s column: The insurrectionist’s dictionary
By: Holly McCall - June 13, 2022
Those of you who were among the 20 million Americans to tune into Thursday night’s opening hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol and those of you who plan to continue watching will likely become familiar with a number of terms. And if you read newspapers […]
Tennessee Supreme Court ends Starbuck’s congressional bid
By: Holly McCall - June 10, 2022
The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned a June 3 ruling by Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins, ending a bid by video producer Robby Starbuck to run for the Republican nomination to Congress in the state’s 5th District. On April 19, the Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee voted to remove Starbuck, Donald Trump-backed Morgan Ortagus and businessman […]
Tennessee Republican Party upholds Williamson County primary results
By: Holly McCall - June 10, 2022
The Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee voted to uphold election results in two Williamson County races on Thursday during a 90-minute meeting−the second day of a two-day discussion of the challenges—with committee members again expressing their desire for closed primaries. Christopher Richards, a candidate for Williamson County Commission District 7 challenged the outcome of his […]
Editor’s column: Go west, Democrats.
By: Holly McCall - June 6, 2022
For more than a decade, Tennessee Democrats have lamented the lack of a “bench” — that is, elected officials at the city and county level who can develop into respectable candidates for U.S. Congress and governor, much as Triple A ball clubs prep talented players for the Show. The lack of a political bench means […]
Editor’s column: Is this what our veterans died for?
By: Holly McCall - May 30, 2022
Memorial Day usually makes me a bit nostalgic, as I think about not only the men in my family who risked their lives in combat to protect America’s freedoms but about all the families who didn’t get to witness their loved ones return home. I get a little emotional as I look at the American […]