Green Beret running for Blackburn’s seat

Matt Reel, a Hickman County native and longtime staffer for Democrats in Congress also currently serving in the U.S. Army, has announced a run for the Congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Brentwood).

According to a press release, Reel (pictured) is a member of the U.S. Army’s Green Beret special forces unit who has seen combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and leaves on another deployment in a few weeks. He is also a longtime staffer for Democrats in the U.S. House. He was named deputy staff director for the Democrats on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs earlier this year and previously worked for former Congressman Lincoln Davis, a Democrat who represented Tennessee’s 4th Congressional District.