Joey Garrison

USA Today Network - Tennessee

Erin Coleman, who finished just shy of winning an at-large Metro Council seat in the fall, has announced she will run in the Democratic primary in hopes of challenging freshman GOP state Sen. Steve Dickerson.

Coleman formally launched her run for Tennessee Senate District 20 on Thursday, becoming the first Democrat to enter the primary.

In making her announcement, Coleman, a civil engineer, attorney and military veteran, touted local autonomy of cities and said the state has intervened on local policy-making in Nashville on several occasions. She singled out mass transit, education and nondiscriminatory hiring practices as examples.

"Nashville is the number one target of the Tennessee General Assembly,” Coleman said in a prepared statement. “On a growing number of issues, they usurp our authority to govern our city. District 20 needs a senator that will fight for the people of Nashville.

"We welcome help from the state legislature, but all we're getting is their intervention."

Despite being new to Nashville politics, the 36-year-old Coleman finished just 2,799 votes behind Jim Shulman for the fifth at-large seat in the Metro Council.

She had told the Tennessean in October that she was weighing a state Senate run. The Democratic primary takes place in August ahead of the November election.

Dickerson, among the more moderate Republicans in the GOP-dominated state legislature, defeated Democrat Phillip North by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin in the 2010 open race to replace former Sen. Joe Haynes. He faces his first re-election this year.

This session, Dickerson has pushed several bills that seem to appeal to moderate and Democratic voters, including legislation that would increase access to contraceptives for women.

The geographically winding District 20 — Nashville’s only Senate seat that leans to the right — includes the neighborhoods of Belle Meade, Forrest Hills and Bellevue, as well as the far northern part of Davidson County, including Goodlettsville and Joelton.

In an election cycle that is likely to once again be tough for Tennessee Democrats, District 20 could be one of their best chances to pick off a legislative seat from Republicans.

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