When people come together with a shared vision of the future of #Memphis; when they volunteer their time to spread a message of hope -- we can change the world. I can't thank enough this amazing team, which knocked almost 100 doors on Saturday! Want to join us? www.lenachipman.com/volunteer

Today I'm speaking with @thetnholler.bsky.social on the TN Holler Hour! Come hear about why I'm running and what I plan to do when in office!

Come out this Saturday in #Memphis and knock doors with us starting at Java Cabana! No experience is necessary. You have the power to get a true progressive elected here in Shelby County! Sign up here 👇 www.lenachipman.com/canvass-signup

As many of you know, my field director and I have been out walking in #Memphis (cue Mark Cohn), though not wearing blue suede shoes, talking to voters and my future constituents. We've knocked a bunch of doors, met some cool people, and asked about what's on their minds...

I'm honored and humbled to be recognized as someone who will Lead Out Loud for equity and social justice. As a transgender woman, I know what it's like to be ignored by those in power. LPAC and I fight to make sure every voice is heard. Thank you, @teamlpac.bsky.social , for your support!

Tonight, I go live on all major streaming platforms! AMA, from the critical (what should we do to improve services at Regional One?) to the Critical (when is Cure 3 preferable to Medica 2?)! Tune in @LenaLeadsOutLoud on Twitch, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live at 6:13pm Central!

Feb 12 update: Mayor Young apologized on X. I'm posting it here so you can read it yourself.

Last night, Mayor Paul Young of #Memphis explicitly, directly, and repeatedly misgendered a community member, Brandy Price, who is a trans woman (around 42:40 in my livestreamed video of the event: www.facebook.com/share/v/185F... ).

Today remains a good day to be a good person and Not. Break. The. Line. Delete the app! Buy local coffee instead! Today I'm sipping a lovely cold brew from Just Love Coffee in #Memphis on Madison. What's your favorite local shop?

One of the contributing factors to this, if you read between the lines, is the PILOT tax abatement that ends at the end of this year. Big box stores pay a lot in property tax, and this is a Good Thing; in fact, I'd make it exponential and add in further assessments for square footage if I could.

Behold, my beautiful wife and I at the Memphis Botanic Garden last night for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center's Works of Heart! I love a fancy date night for a good cause, especially at one of my favorite spots in District 13.

Transit Equity Day 2026 with MICAH Memphis and others was great! Hearing rider stories and speakers on their feelings on MATA really honed my perspective and vision on how we can make a world-class transit system. I was one of two county commission candidates there -- where were the others?

I'll be there -- to listen and learn from the people who rely on MATA, to make sure we can turn ideas into impact!

Looks like the TN legislature is at it again, this time trying to pass explicitly unconstitutional laws in the hope of getting the captured SCOTUS to overturn its own precedent. You can take action against this bill here: www.tnep.org/legislative_...

Be an ally not for one day, but for a lifetime.

The campaign finance reports for the end of 2025 are out for the Shelby County TN (you know, #Memphis) races and they're worth a read! Relevant to my race, one of my opponents may have outraised me, but I have almost 3x as many donors and I didn't put $4900 from my previous run in like she did...

I explain and contextualize some very recent research on genAI here. In terms of policy, the ineffectiveness of it combined with its social and environmental costs in #Memphis is why I want to constrain new datacenters here and shut down xAI's. (Also because it's a CSAM generator.)

Today's a stripey day! Indeed, I'm the candidate for county commission who wears the striped socks and the Mary Janes and sneakers with hearts on them! Yes, the job is serious and the stakes high -- but we should never lose our whimsy, our joy, and our hope! #LeadOutLoud

The final totals from the winter storm that hit #Memphis are in, and these are both wild and show why we have "snowcrete" -- we got both snow and sleet, and together those compact and fuse into a very tough layer! Out at the NWS Memphis office, we got 4.8" of sleet and 4.8" of snow!

The fact that we have elected officials arguing that police of any sort (which ICE should not be, as immigration is a civil matter) should have no judicial oversight and complete anonymity is a horrifying reminder that many of them care only about their own power and nothing about you.

One of the most common questions I get is, "am I in district 13?" County commission districts in TN are gerrymandered, so the boundaries are hard to explain. I've listed some key neighborhoods in the picture, but the easiest way is to go to www.lenachipman.com/lookup to look up your details!

Felt like this was appropriate, given some milquetoast statements coming out.

Hi, it's me. These are core principles of mine But the oligarchy in the Democratic party, and in politics generally, is more interested in protecting their jobs than helping people like me get elected But I'll do what I can, with what I have, here in the Southeast at the municipal level

Anyway here's my field director and I looking cute while canvassing

Just a reminder that if you want to get a transfemme candidate into office who's an actual leftist who will actually stand up for everyone's rights, fight against ICE and genocide, and push transformative policy, I'm right here! www.lenachipman.com/donate

We've all seen the videos at this point. This morning, ICE agents attacked a man legally observing them -- starting with pushing him, and then escalated to wrestling him to the ground, pistol-whipping him, and then murdering him by shooting him at close, fatal range.

It's very cold and very sleety here in #Memphis . If you need help, please reach out. My DMs are always open and if I can't help, I may know someone who can.

As some of you saw, I was out canvassing with my field director the other day. For those unfamiliar, that's when we go meet people on the street and at their houses and ask what's bothering them and how I can fix it when elected. The number one issue from everyone? We need to abolish ICE.

No. ICE is not judge, jury, and executioner. Any agency that believes this must be abolished. And any elected who believes this must be removed from office, irrespective of party.

It's amazing how they love to say "the gender binary is natural" and yet somehow need all these laws to enforce it and strip autonomy from children. Bills like this don't make fewer trans kids. They make more dead ones.

Speaking as someone who lives in #Memphis, is running for office, and wants to kick xAI out: it's awful and our local electeds are showing no backbone. Indeed, the school board, which includes one of my opponents in my primary, is aiming to take donations from Musk's personal foundation!

...whether that's electoral politics, mutual aid, satire, art, actual journalism, non-violent community defense, protesting, or, yes, direct action Do what you can, where you can, how you can. The front line is everywhere, but you've got this! 💜

I pointed out to someone the other day that shitposting mockery of politicians and the regime is a valuable thing Satire and art are important tools in bending the arc of history! Fascists hate being mocked, and angry people make mistakes We need all hands pulling on that arc however they can...

HB1271, the "only 2 sexes" bill, was, indeed, taken off notice for now in the House Judiciary Committee just now.

Even when it's cold, my field director and I are delivering hot, fresh transformative policy direct to you! Want to help? Check out www.lenachipman.com to contribute or volunteer!

Yes, we can add this fee to the massive additional registration fee on EVs, which exists (and charges far more than any conceivable gas tax) to account for the lack of gas tax, allegedly Or we can all recognize this is the TN legislature opposing EVs because they're far-right fools

As a first-time candidate who is running for Shelby County Commission District 13, it's important that you know I believe deeply in equity and dignity for all people. On this, the 40th Anniversary of MLK Day, I honor the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- not just for his words...

Well, I'm a Democrat and I think this consultant should pound sand. Abolish ICE. It's the moderate position and it's the morally correct one. (This is why I don't take corporate PAC money or listen to centrist consultants. Want to help me transform #Memphis? www.lenachipman.com/donate :) )

“We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.” -- Martin Luther King Jr.

If the Shelby County Sheriff's Department attempts to employ facial recognition, when elected to the county commission, I will deny their budget request. We neither need nor want flawed technology in our public safety systems here in #Memphis.

Apparently last night at the Kamala Harris event, a TN state senator mistook another trans woman there for me! What this tells me is that our movement is getting attention, and that I need to highlight my style more 😅 Want to join us? Join our Discord here! www.lenachipman.com/discord

"Why are local and municipal politicians so corrupt?" is a question I'm sometimes asked One big part is that these are often "part-time" jobs in terms of pay and staffing as opposed to full-time ones. To augment their pay -- even to survive -- they take honorariums and gifts from wealthy patrons

This, I should note, is an absolutely horrifying argument. "Your group is too small to be protected against discrimination" is not just contrary to constitutional principles, it can be applied to a wide range of other groups -- religious, ethnic, and otherwise. It's overtly white supremacist.

Tonight! Come join our livestream and talk with me! Ask me anything, from the serious (what to do about the occupation of Memphis) to the Extremely Serious (which Mega Man X game is the best) Available on FB and YT Live at LenaLeadsOutLoud as well as Twitch: twitch.tv/LenaLeadsOut...

An unfortunate reality of politics is that the club of politicians typically doesn't want others to join their club. Not being like other politicians, I want everyone to join the club -- so I'm happy to offer support, guidance, and help to any leftist who wants to run

Like all candidates for municipal office in TN, we have a fundraising deadline coming up -- 1/15, this Thursday. We want to come in first for fundraising in our race, because how much you raise is used by the press and endorsers to see how strong your support is.

In which case, they send partner agencies to do that -- as we saw in #Memphis tonight, when the TN State Troopers opted to enforce that themselves because they didn't like our anti-ICE protest. "Professional courtesy" is how they get around this, when they deign to follow the law at all

In case you needed a reminder

I'm so excited about being on the ballot in Shelby County TN (y'know, #Memphis) that I made a video about it from my Campaign Operations Center, also known as "my office during my lunch time"