TN House of Representatives

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 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 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 increased 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.

DISTRICT 51

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.

DISTRICT 52

JUSTIN JONES

Justin Jones was born in Oakland, Calif. He credits his grandmothers with teaching him the importance of community, 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 arrested 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 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.”

DISTRICT 53

DIA HART

Dia Hart is originally from Chicago, Ill. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer 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 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 54

VINCENT DIXIE

Vincent Dixie is the Democratic incumbent for the TN House of Representatives in District 54, where he grew up. He assumed office in 2018 and serves on the Health Committee and Education Committee. Dixie earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Tennessee State University. He is married to a Metro Nashville Public Schools educator.

Dixie worked as an Internal Auditor for HCA and Ardent Health Services before starting his own businesses, Bail U Out Bonding and A Way Out Bonding. He serves on the Finance Committee at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and a member of the Tennessee Black Caucus.

Dixie plans to sponsor a bill in 2023 requiring handgun buyers to register with the state. He maintains that Republican-led leadership failed the State of Tennessee in the fight against COVID-19. He advocates for Medicaid expansion and adequate funding for public schools and teachers. Dixie believes that all children have the right to a quality education.

DISTRICT 55

JOHN RAY CLEMMONS

John Ray Clemmons was raised on a farm near Watertown, Tenn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law. An advocate for human rights and womens’ rights, Clemmons comments often on local and national political issues on his Twitter account.

Clemmons worked for two years in Washington D.C. as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives then returned home for the U.S. Senate campaign before becoming the statewide Political Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party. He practices law at Clemmons & Clemmons, PLLC, a firm he founded in 2013, and focuses on civil litigation. Clemmons currently serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing the 55th District.

While in office Clemmons has served on the Civil Justice, Education Administration, Health, K-12, and Emergency Orders Committees. He has served on various boards including Nashville Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities, the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners, and the Tennessee Civil Service Commission. His policy priorities include Medicaid Expansion, gun safety laws, public transportation, and promoting equality for all.

DISTRICT 56

BOB FREEMAN

Bob Freeman is running for reelection for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 56. He has served two terms and sponsored over 60 successful bills. He was born and raised in the district, where he still lives with his wife and their three children. Freeman holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management and Land Development from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Master of Science in Sustainability from Lipscomb University.

Freeman serves on the Health and Select Ethics General Assembly Committees. His focus is on improving the health of Nashvillians through innovation and investment, building an educated workforce, improving early education and after-school programs, and allying with rural health providers to combat the opioid epidemic. In 2019, Bob became Executive Vice President at Freeman Webb, a private real estate investment firm.

In addition to his time in the legislature, Freeman has served on the boards of the Nashville Homelessness Commission, Tennessee Environmental Council, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Metro Sustainability Advisory Committee, and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Tennessee Market Leadership Advisory Board.

DISTRICT 58

HAROLD LOVE

Harold Love, Jr. is a lifelong Nashvillian, with a doctorate in public policy from Tennessee State University (TSU), and a master’s degree in theological studies from Vanderbilt University. Love has served in the Tennessee House of Representatives, 58th District, since 2012. Notably, he is a pastor and Life Member of the NAACP.As a Tennessee House Representative, Love has helped secure $300 million in funding for TSU structural repairs; passed legislation to create a maternal mortality review board; passed a bill to reduce the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); and worked on legislation supporting computer science for all; among other initiatives. Love is also the Vice President of The National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

His platform focuses on improving resources for K-12 education in public schools; promoting accessible healthcare; supporting small businesses; and supporting criminal justice reform. Love hopes voters will look at his record of “getting good legislation passed” and keeping “bad legislation from passing.”

DISTRICT 59

MICHELLE FOREMAN

Michelle Foreman is a Republican running for Tennessee House District 29. Foreman is a native of the Nashville area, who graduated from Brentwood Academy and David Lipscomb University. She is a registered nurse and has worked as a psychiatric nurse and clinical risk manager.

Foreman supports empowering parents in their child’s education, placing a check on wasteful government spending and overreach, improving access to affordable healthcare insurance, a government that is, “smaller, smarter, and more efficient”, and the local police. In 2018, she was elected to the office of GOP State Executive Committeewoman for the 20th Senatorial District. She chairs the Permanent Elections subcommittee of the SEC, which was formed after the 2020 election, and has led efforts to draft resolutions focused on election integrity for the Tennessee General Assembly.

Michelle Foreman is a member or volunteer of several organizations, including Bellevue Exchange Club, Daughters of the American Revolution, American Nurses Association, Tennessee Nurses Association, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Federation of Republican Women, Nashville Republican Women, The Federalist Society, and The Heritage Foundation.

WYATT RAMPY

Originally from Warrenton, Va., Wyatt Rampy studied marketing at Lipscomb University and now resides in West Nashville. He is the president of Poplar Hill Realty, Bellevue’s residential brokerage and property manager serving the Middle Tennessee market since 2004. Prior to this, he worked in the consumer finance department of Sovran Bank and later with Bankers Trust where he dealt with research and reporting on corporate, municipal and mortgage-backed securities.

Rampy is also very active in the Bellevue community as a deacon at Bellevue Church of Christ. He is on the boards of World Christian Broadcasting, Bellevue YMCA, and Nashville Christian School.

His policy priorities include improved education for upward mobility and parent directed school choice, safe communities through fully staffed police and mental health professionals, and a thriving economy with expansionist job opportunities and maintaining a stable local economy.

CALEB HEMMER

A native Nashvillian, Caleb Hemmer’s education through metro schools culminated in a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and an M.B.A. from Tennessee Technological University. He currently lives in Forrest Hills and works in corporate development at American Health Partners.

A member of the West End Methodist Church, a husband, and a father of two, he also served in several leadership roles in former Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration and executive roles in the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Hemmer served on the Fair Commissioners Board for nearly eight years and recently resigned to focus on his campaign. As a result of his extensive work and volunteer experience in the field, Hemmer’s political priorities center around the right to healthcare. He has served as an Ambassador for the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, and on the Member Engagement Committee of Leadership Health. Other focal points include funding for public education, economic expansion, science backed COVID protocols, voting rights, and affordable housing.

DISTRICT 60

DARREN JERNIGAN

Living in the Hermitage and Old Hickory areas since 1979, Jernigan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Public Relations from Austin Peay State University, as well as a Master of Criminal Justice Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Jernigan represented District 11 on the Metro Council starting in 2007, and has respresnted District 60 since 2012.

Jernigan is a member of seven house committees. He has sponsored dozens of bills, including introducing House Bill 1670, which updates outdated language used to describe deafness.

Jernigan is an advocate for the DREAM Act, the expansion of Medicaid, the legalization of medical marijuana, and equitable access to healthcare. He is pro-choice and voted against a bill that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected. He supports a living wage, equal pay, affordable childcare, and universal Pre-K education in Tennessee. He opposes predatory lending and the use of public funds as vouchers for private school tuition.