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Join Kosta and his guest: Stacye Choate, Attorney at Law and Candidate for Putnam County County Commission District 2.
In this episode: Stacye, you’re officially our first candidate interview of the 2026 election cycle and the first Democrat running in a local election that we’ve ever hosted on the podcast. It’s an honor to have you, and I think the best question to start with is: why now and why the Democratic ticket?
I watched your speech announcing your candidacy and something really stuck with me. You said, “Republicans do not hold the market on Christianity, I am a Christian. The teachings of Jesus call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show compassion, to stand with the vulnerable, and to reject hatred.” As a Christian, why do you feel there’s such harsh lines drawn for both political parties around religion?
In 2025, Putnam County has zero representation from the Democratic Party. There’s not one elected official in this county with a (D) beside their name. For residents of the Upper Cumberland, that’s not hard to believe. What might surprise our listeners is in 2000, Putnam County had zero representation from the Republican Party. There were zero candidates with an (R) beside their name. How did this happen? Do you think it could happen again?
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.
Join us with Plenty Downtown Bookshop at A Novel Affair: A Jane Austen Gala for Literacy on November 8, 2025 at Putnam County Convention Center.
Find out more about A Novel Affair: A Jane Austen Gala for Literacy and buy tickets here:
https://plentybookshop.com/gala
In this episode: Stacye, you’re officially our first candidate interview of the 2026 election cycle and the first Democrat running in a local election that we’ve ever hosted on the podcast. It’s an honor to have you, and I think the best question to start with is: why now and why the Democratic ticket?
I watched your speech announcing your candidacy and something really stuck with me. You said, “Republicans do not hold the market on Christianity, I am a Christian. The teachings of Jesus call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show compassion, to stand with the vulnerable, and to reject hatred.” As a Christian, why do you feel there’s such harsh lines drawn for both political parties around religion?
In 2025, Putnam County has zero representation from the Democratic Party. There’s not one elected official in this county with a (D) beside their name. For residents of the Upper Cumberland, that’s not hard to believe. What might surprise our listeners is in 2000, Putnam County had zero representation from the Republican Party. There were zero candidates with an (R) beside their name. How did this happen? Do you think it could happen again?
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a product of Morgan Franklin Media and recorded in Cookeville, TN.
Join us with Plenty Downtown Bookshop at A Novel Affair: A Jane Austen Gala for Literacy on November 8, 2025 at Putnam County Convention Center.
Find out more about A Novel Affair: A Jane Austen Gala for Literacy and buy tickets here:
https://plentybookshop.com/gala
Creators and Guests
What is Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev?
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a podcast about business, parenting and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you intentional conversations on making your own path to success, challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better. Recorded in Cookeville, TN, Kosta joins guests from all walks of life to bring fresh perspective and start your week with purpose. We're better together.