A Maryville candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives says she received a threat against her life as she campaigned outside the Blount County Public Library.
Karen Gertz, a Democrat, is running against Republican Tom Stinnett to replace state Rep. Bryan Richey.
Gertz told Knox News she was campaigning Oct. 19, when the driver of a truck shouted, “This is a good place to die, motherf—ers.”
Gertz and her mother, who was helping campaign, were rattled and weren’t able to get the truck’s license plate.
But the same thing happened again Oct. 21 in the same spot. This time, the driver yelled something about a civil war.
The second time, she was standing with three campaign volunteers and a reporter from the Daily Times, which covers Blount County.
“I expected maybe some signs to be stolen … but I certainly did not expected to be threatened,” she told Knox News.
Gertz reported the threats to the Maryville Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Blount County Election Commission.