09 Nov 2022 Tennessee Election Cycle Reaffirms Desire for Lawmakers Who Put Educational Needs of Students First

Posted at 08:00h in Elections by

Results in last night’s Tennessee election added to the growing momentum for educational choice in the Volunteer State. Tennessee voters showed up at the polls to validate their desire to prioritize the educational needs of students over systems and bureaucracies.

Governor Bill Lee was reelected to a second term, due in large part to his campaign pledge to support and empower Tennessee parents and teachers over the next four years. In a landslide win, Tennesseans reaffirmed their confidence in Governor Lee’s leadership and his commitment to Tennessee students.

In Memphis, incumbent Senator London Lamar fended off challenges from both a Republican and Independent opponent, winning 81% of the vote in Senate District 33. In State Senate District 31, redistricting put more of the district in Shelby County’s suburbs and less of it in Memphis proper. Nevertheless, former Memphis City Councilman Brent Taylor won easily to succeed veteran lawmaker Brian Kelsey. As expected, both Lamar and Taylor beat out their opponents while maintaining strong support for policies that prioritize the educational needs of students first.

In House District 97, incumbent Representative John Gillespie maintained his seat, defeating Toniko Harris by 14 percentage points. Gillespie will continue to be a champion for East Memphis and Cordova kids and schools.

In Middle Tennessee’s race for House District 67, Ronnie Glynn defeated Tommy Vallejos by a razor-thin margin. Glynn won with 5,766 votes (51% of the vote) compared to 5,613 votes for Vallejos with just over 49% of the vote. Vallejos pledged early support for teachers and students and made a commitment to ensuring Montgomery County classrooms received their fair share of the new TISA school funding formula.

In Murfreesboro, incumbent Senator Dawn White handily won reelection against Kelly Northcutt for Senate District 13, securing 64% of the vote. White is a former Murfreesboro City Schools teacher and stands up for students, not systems, in Rutherford County.

Combined with the progress made this summer in primary elections, overall  TennesseeCAN Action Fund won 17 of the 19 races where an independent expenditure was made.

The results from this cycle send a clear message: listening to families and supporting the needs of children and teachers continues to be a top priority for Tennessee voters. TennesseeCAN Action Fund remains committed to ensuring that all kids in Tennessee have access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed in life.