Our Children Deserve Better than the Tennessee Fauci, Matt Van Epps, in Congress
by Karen Rupert Rayl
I’m a Republican, wife, and mother who raises her children in Williamson County and I’ve watched with growing concern as our nation and state navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 era.
Tennesseans endured unprecedented government overreach—lockdowns that crippled small businesses, mask mandates that stifled our children’s smiles, and school closures that robbed our kids of their education and social growth and led to increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide.
These policies weren’t just misguided; they were an assault on our freedoms.
And now, Matt Van Epps, a man complicit in this overreach, dares to ask for our vote to represent Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. We deserve better — a true conservative, not a career bureaucrat who played the role of Tennessee’s Fauci as the strategic planner for the Unified COVID Command taskforce.
As a mother, I saw firsthand the harm inflicted on our children during the COVID years. Schools in Williamson County and across Tennessee were shuttered, leaving kids isolated and parents scrambling. Mask mandates turned classrooms into into sterile, joyless environments, hindering our children’s ability to learn and connect. Educators were compelled to act as compliance officers, enforcing mask mandates in addition to their instructional duties—diverting time and energy away from student learning– further straining already limited classroom time and relationships with students.
We were forced to “follow the science” instead of being allowed to do what our hearts knew was best for our children. Bureaucrats like Van Epps doubled down on compliance over common sense. In his role as a bureaucrat administering COVID mandates, Van Epps was a cog in the COVID Control Machine and chose power over the people.
Tennesseans didn’t sign up for Big Brother to contact trace our kids, family, friends, neighbors and coworkers and put us under house arrest. We are people who value personal responsibility, faith, and freedom. Yet, under the guise of public health, Van Epps and his gang pushed a one-size-fits-all approach that ignored the resilience of our communities and the needs of our families. Small businesses here in Middle Tennessee and beyond were forced to close their doors, some never to reopen, while corporate giants thrived.
Families like mine watched as our way of life was upended by those who chose bureaucracy over the needs of the people.
Matt Van Epps may tout certain credentials, but actions speak louder than words. A true conservative doesn’t hide behind a desk, rubber-stamping policies that erode our God-given rights. A true conservative stands up for parents, business owners, and children when the government oversteps.
Van Epps failed that test. His bureaucratic role in administering the state’s response during COVID aligns him more with Anthony Fauci’s top-down control than with the principles of limited government we hold dear in Tennessee.
Williamson County and the 7th District need a representative who will fight for our values in Congress, not another career bureaucrat climbing the political ladder. We need someone who understands that government exists to serve the people, not to dictate how we live our lives. Van Epps’ track record shows he’s comfortable in the halls of power, enforcing mandates rather than challenging them. That’s not the leadership Tennessee needs.
As a Republican wife and mother, I’m calling on my fellow Tennesseans to demand better. Let’s send a real conservative to Congress—one who will protect our freedoms, prioritize our families, and never forget the lessons of the COVID era. Tennessee’s 7th District deserves a warrior for liberty, not a bureaucrat who helped lock down our state.
Van Epps, You Will Not Tread On Me!
Karen Rupert Rayl is a resident of Williamson County, a dedicated Republican, and a mother who believes in preserving Tennessee’s conservative values for future generations.
Originally published by The Tennessee Star