State Rep. John Gillespie, the youngest Republican in the state legislature, is defending what Democrats see as their best opportunity to flip a Republican seat.

Gillespie, who won his first election in 2020 by less than two percentage points, faces Toniko Harris, an ICU nurse who worked for years as a firefighter and paramedic.

Gillespie has focused much of his legislation on increasing penalties for violent crime.

“People are terrified. People want leadership,” he said. “I keep hearing it on every door I knock on, and I would say the economy is a very distant second.”

Harris — who is not related to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris or state Rep. Torrey Harris — said she decided to run for the state House District 97 seat to reform the systems that worsen the problems she sees as a first-responder.

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“As a firefighter and a nurse … it was more about the care for the people,” she said. “I wanted to seek out care for the people.”

The East Memphis district is one of only a handful where Tennessee Democrats think they have a chance to gain ground in the Republican-dominated General Assembly. Democrats are worried, though, that the GOP could further expand its supermajority by flipping two seats, in Clarksville and Nashville.

During this year’s redistricting process, Gillespie’s district was drawn to be more compact and to exclude parts of some conservative areas. Due to population loss in Memphis and slow growth compared to Middle Tennessee, Shelby County lost one state House seat. 

When Gillespie first ran, the district included parts of Bartlett and Germantown. The new district, which takes effect when the new legislative session starts, includes a much bigger chunk of East Memphis, some of Cordova and none of Germantown or Bartlett.

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If Harris wins, the Democrats will still be in the superminority in the General Assembly; she would be the 27th Democrat in the 99-member state House.

‘Everyday working people’

This is Harris’ first run for office, and she had to be convinced.

She won her primary by only 21 votes over Houston Wolf, with whom she had few policy differences. She said they talked frequently and had a good relationship.

“We believe in really the same things — I can’t see much difference,” she said.

She said her main task has been to get people registered and motivated to vote.

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“A lot of people are just not voting,” she said. “We’ve to change the mindset: Your voice is your vote.”

While Harris reported raising $4,597 in her most recent campaign finance report and ended up with $7,657 to spend, she has spent very little on her campaign. She reported spending just $123 in her most recent report, for an ActBlue processing fee.

Her reports have lacked detail; her only other reported expense was $165 for advertising in July.

One of her notable donors is state Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis), who gave her $400. State Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) and Sara Jane Goodman, the former board president of Choices - Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, each gave $500. Ruby Powell-Dennis, the Democrat running against Brent Taylor for an open state Senate seat, gave $100.

She opposes school vouchers, permitless gun carry and the abortion ban, and wants to expand Medicaid.

“We could use that,” she said about the money funding private school tuition. “Our funds need to stay where they are, so we can take care of what we already have in the public schools.”

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She has three children and seven grandchildren, and said she’s motivated to serve — as a firefighter/paramedic, a nurse and in office — to set an example for her grandchildren.

“I get my beliefs, inspiration, from my mother,” she said. “I get my beliefs and inspirations just from being around everyday working people.”

‘Government is here to provide safety’

Gillespie, 35, grew up in East Memphis and attended High Point University in North Carolina. He works as a fundraiser for Trezevant Manor, a Memphis retirement community.

He has focused his re-election campaign and much of his legislation on crime — specifically penalty enhancements for violent offenses such as rape and kidnapping. Last week Gillespie was nominated to the Memphis Crime Commission Board of Directors.

While his beliefs tend to be more moderate than those of many Republicans in the General Assembly, he is still a reliable vote. During his first term, he fostered a close relationship with House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville).

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He said former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, whom he worked for multiple times, was an influence on his views; he referred to Corker as a “great statesman.”

“Government is here to provide safety — the glue that holds society together, so to speak,” he said. “I believe the United States’ or any country’s job is to provide that safety net for its citizens with that free market view.”

His most recent campaign finance report, covering July through September, shows he spent $33,587, raised $26,550 and ended up with $35,142 on hand. He received $2,000 from Sexton’s PAC, $1,500 from the Memphis Police Association, and $1,000 each from private prison company CoreCivic and state House Majority Leader William Lamberth.

In the upcoming session, echoing Republicans across Tennessee, he said he wants to expand on “truth in sentencing” with more penalty enhancements and lengthen sentences for some juvenile offenders.

“I have pretty good access with leadership,” Gillespie said. “I ask the people that read this article to understand what that actually means for them. Do they want a leader that can get things done, or not?”