Incumbent Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, will face Democratic challenger Jesse Huseth in the Tennessee House District 97 race in November 2024. (Gillespie photo: John Partipilo; Huseth photo: Karen Pulfer Focht)
In Cordova and East Memphis, a two-term officeholder who says he is focused on “fighting crime” is vying for votes against a business owner and former teacher who promises to take a “pragmatic” approach to state politics.
Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, has held the Tennessee House District 97 seat since his nail-biting 2020 victory (he prevailed over Democrat Gabby Salinas by just 466 votes, or 1.6%). The self-described mainstream conservative’s campaign has doubled down on the message that helped keep him in place in 2022: “Violent crime is the biggest challenge facing Memphis.”
Gillespie touts an endorsement from the Memphis Police Association and its record of supporting laws that impose harsher penalties for certain crimes.
He faces Democrat Jesse Huseth, a lifelong Memphian whose priorities include increasing per-pupil funding for “chronically underfunded” public schools, building Shelby County’s own crime lab to handle DNA testing backlogs and pushing for licensing and safe storage measures for firearm owners.
“Based on what we’ve seen over the last fourteen years of Republicans having that trifecta of control, we haven’t seen any specific investments that will help our children in the long run,” Huseth said.
He hopes his candidacies and those of others send a message to Gillespie and other incumbents in state government: “this is what you get when you don’t serve people, when you don’t invest in communities.”
Gillespie did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Huseth ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and reported having nearly $86,000 available on August 26 (including two self-underwritten loans totaling $3,600). He has received support from Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, several Nashville Council members and a handful of Shelby County officials. Huseth is also among a handful of Democratic candidates backed by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in an effort to make a dent in the House of Representatives’ Republican supermajority.
Gillespie reported about $78,600 on July 24, including donations from Sexton and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland. Other donors include the Voices for a Safer Tennessee Political Action Committee and medical PACs.
About crime
Gillespie’s campaign website provides a snapshot of his parliamentary history. He was the lead sponsor of a law that increased penalties for people convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and he helped pass a law that denied probation to people who use a firearm while committing a crime.
His sponsorship of the controversial “truth in sentencing” law, which requires those convicted of certain crimes to serve 100% of their sentence without being eligible for parole for good behavior or program credits, is prominently featured on his site . The law was fiercely opposed by organizations such as the American Conservative Union and criminal justice advocates, who pointed out that removing incentives for early release could hamper rehabilitation programs against recidivism and increase the prison population.
Gillespie’s website does not list a bill he passed as lead sponsor this year that would undo Memphis’ attempt to prevent police from conducting “pretendant” traffic stops (for example, stopping motorists for a bad taillight or a misplaced license plate). makes. The Memphis City Council had passed the ordinance banning such stops after the assault and death of Tire Nichols, who Memphis police stopped for reckless driving in January 2023.
Huseth’s approach to crime focuses on expanding Shelby County’s ability to process evidence and receive test results more quickly for things like rape kits.
“The reason I support a crime lab is because … the ongoing conversation in Memphis is about how quickly criminals get out on bail, and a big part of that is because we can’t detain people in a reasonable amount of time because we’re eight. months ago on DNA kits,” Huseth said.
Huseth would also focus on addressing gun violence by repealing illegal carry and instituting rules for the safe storage of guns in vehicles.
On guns
Huseth said he is a “strong supporter of the Second Amendment” and bought a gun after experiencing an attempted home invasion about a decade ago.
“I actually support licensing and supporting safe storage because I don’t want to see an overcorrection for firearm ownership in our state,” he said.
Three gun control questions that will appear on Memphis ballots in November will give lawmakers “direct input from voters on how they feel about these things,” he said.
The referendum, sponsored by the Memphis City Council, will ask voters where they stand on three proposed amendments to the city charter: handgun permit requirements, restrictions on assault weapons and the power to issue extreme risk protection orders, that temporarily restrict access to firearms for those considered a threat to themselves or others. None of the changes could take effect without state approval.
The move to put the questions on the ballot angered House Speaker Cameron Sexton of Crossville and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge, who derided the referendum as a “political afterthought” and threatened to split withhold sales tax. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said he would block the referendums, but a Shelby County chancellor ruled they could appear on the ballot. Attorney General Johnathan Skrmetti announced he would not file an emergency appeal, but called the referendums a “fraud on the voters.”
The Tennessee Journal reported in August that Gillespie would vote for the referendums that would appear on the ballot.
In schools
Gillespie’s website makes no direct mention of school vouchers, but does say that he “supports the right of parents to have a strong voice in their child’s education.”
Huseth is clear about his opposition to vouchers, or government funding used to subsidize tuition for private schools.
“I’m a pragmatist, so I believe that if we see good policies working in other states, we should adopt them, and if we see bad policies, we shouldn’t,” he said. “And in every state … that has adopted vouchers, we have seen increases in spending … above budget expectations, while at the same time seeing results for students below comparable public school peers.”
I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and we don’t pay for public schools. And so we get terrible results.
– Jesse Huseth
Gillespie’s website makes no direct mention of school vouchers, but does say that he “supports the right of parents to have a strong voice in their child’s education.”
Huseth said Tennessee is failing to properly fund public schools and properly pay and resource teachers. He taught public school for two years, taught eighth-grade history and science and coached the track team, for which he still volunteers. His largest class size was 35 students — the legal maximum — but it should be about 18, he said.
“I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and we don’t pay for public schools. And so we get terrible results,” Huseth said.
Both Gillespie and Huseth advocate for more career and technical opportunities in schools, with Gillespie noting his support for increased funding for high school courses. Huseth wants more diversity in postsecondary education and is pushing for more trade schools and job training programs funded through the state’s two-year associate degree program.
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