BALLOT BREAKDOWN
TN House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives, alongside the Tennessee State Senate, forms the legislative branch of the Tennessee state government and works alongside the Governor of Tennessee to create laws and establish a state budget. The state is divided into 99 House districts. One representative is elected from each district
and represents about 64,102 citizens. All 99 House seats are up for election in 2020.The political makeup of the 112th General Assembly is 73 Republicans, 24 Democrats and one Independent. Women, African-Americans, and Latinos are underrepresented in the Tennessee State Legislature compared to the Tennessee state population.
Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Tennessee House of Representatives includes passing bills on public policy matters, setting state budgets, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes. The House has the sole power to originate impeachment proceedings against public officials, who are then brought before the
DISTRICT 50
BO MITCHELL Bo Mitchell is running for reelection to the TN House of Representatives for District
50, a position he has held since 2012. He is a native of middle Tennessee and graduated from David Lipscomb University with a BA in Political Science. Mitchell has two sons. Mitchell has served as a member of both the Bellevue and Goodlettsville Chambers of Commerce, and is also a member of the Joelton Civitan Club, Harpeth River Watershed Association, FiftyForward J.L. Turner Center, the Bellevue YMCA, Tennessee Conservation Voters, and Tennessee Farm Bureau. Mitchell believes in in-
Senate for trial. Tennessee is one of six states that requires a majority vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto. To qualify for election to the House, one must be 21 years old, a U.S. citizen, a state resident for three or more years, and a resident of the county in which they are running for at least one year immediately prior to the election.
DISTRICT 51 creased healthcare coverage for Tennesseans, more public school funding, road improvements, and increased medicare for senior citizens. Recently, Mitchell has voted against the prohibition of abortion and against increasing criminal penalties for protesting on public property. Mitchell is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood. He was highly critical of Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher program and called for an investigation into the constitutionality of the law.
BILL BECK Raised in Madison and Whites Creek, Bill Beck is the incumbent candidate
who holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Belmont University and a law degree from Nashville School of Law. Beck has served in the Tennessee Air National Guard and since 1998, he has worked at Beck & Beck Attorneys at Law with his mother, Martha Cone Beck. He has been a member of the Madison Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion Post 82, the Nashville Bar Association and more. In 2015, Beck was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The case was dismissed by a
Cheatham County Judge on the basis that there was not reasonable suspicion for Beck to have been pulled over. As a legislator, he has sponsored bills to increase funding for public transportation. He supports universal Pre-K, expanding Medicaid, increasing the minimum wage, fair pay for women, mass transit in Nashville, and investing in renewable energy. He is a member of several committees including the Criminal Justice Committee, the Select Ethics Committee, and the State Government Committee.
master’s degree in education from Tennessee State University. She is a special education coach and became a member of Nashville’s Metro Council in a special election in 2019, representing District 29. Later that year, she was elected to a full four-year term. She sits on the Budget and Finance Committee; Health, Hospitals, and Social Services Committee; and is the chair of the Education Committee. Porterfield serves on multiple boards of directors, including Ignite Her Pursuit, the Destiny Theatre Experience,
and eMpowerment. She is a former state co-chair of Bernie Sanders’s presidential bid. She is also a licensed minister. Porterfield has been endorsed by the Tennessee Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education, and issues that are important to her include public education, labor, and healthcare access. Although Porterfield describes her focus on pushing back against “extreme right-wing policies,” she hopes to set partisan politics aside and “work on issues that affect everyone regardless of their party.”
the Democratic primary in District 52 and since being elected in 2012, Powell has sat on multiple committees, such as the Commerce and State Government committees. He has served as the Democratic Whip since 2019. After growing up in Nashville, Powell earned his B.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Tennessee State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Memphis. Powell’s work experience is
in real estate and nonprofit management, and he is part of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Nashville Realtors. In his current term, Powell has sponsored several new laws: One ensures confidentiality of license plate reader system data, and another establishes a voluntary unemployment workshare program. Other policy interests he discusses on social media are expanding access to medical marijuana and establishing interstate rail travel.
DISTRICT 52
JUSTIN JONES Justin Jones was born in Oakland, Calif. He credits his grandmothers with teaching him the importance of com-
munity, spirituality, and protecting the environment. He moved to Tennessee in 2013 and quickly became involved in social activism. As a college student studying Political Science at Fisk University, he organized for healthcare access and against restrictive voter ID laws. Jones is a local activist, organizer, and divinity graduate student at Vanderbilt University. In 2020, Jones acted as an organizer and strategist for the People Plaza’s 62-day sit-in at the Tennessee Capitol for racial justice. He has been arrest-
ed at protests multiple times. He walked 273 miles from North Carolina to Nashville in order to bring awareness to rural hospital closures during the pandemic. For his work, Jones has been recognized by organizations such as the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the ACLU of Tennessee, and the Nashville NAACP. Jones has characterized his campaign as being about communities, families, and the future. His campaign is focused on healthcare as a human right, student loan relief, and ending mass incarceration.
DELISHIA PORTERFIELD Delishia Porterfield was born and raised in Tennessee. She holds a bachelor’s and
DISTRICT 53
DIA HART Dia Hart is originally from Chicago, Ill. She earned her bachelor’s degree in comput-
er information systems from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., and her master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago, Ill. Hart worked for the Peace Corps for two years in Haiti before working for Rotary International in Evanston, IL where she completed a variety of water and toilet projects as well as projects to eradicate polio. Hart has volunteered with United Way and is certified in financial literacy through Neighborworks Financial Training. This is Hart’s first run for
public office. If elected, she wants to help families and communities have their voices heard. She plans to promote ELS and STEM in schools and advocate for laws that reduce and ultimately eliminate human trafficking. Hart also plans to prioritize supporting the First and Second Amendments, patient’s rights, law enforcement, free markets, and fiscal responsibility. Hart believes that “we need voices among our elected officials and decision makers that stand with families and communities to find ways of helping us all thrive.”
JASON POWELL Jason Powell is the incumbent and unopposed in
PAGE 8 | July 20 - August 3, 2022 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
