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 incumbent who says he’s focused on “fighting crime” is vying for votes against a business owner and former educator who pledges to take a “pragmatic” approach to statehouse politics.
Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis, has held the Tennessee House District 97 seat since his nail-biting win in 2020 (he prevailed over Democrat Gabby Salinas by just 466 votes, or 1.6%). The self-identified mainstream conservative’s campaign has doubled down on the message that helped him remain in the seat in 2022: “Violent crime is the greatest challenge facing Memphis.”
Gillespie touts an endorsement from the Memphis Police Association and his record of supporting laws enacting 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 its own crime lab to process DNA test backlogs and pushing for licensure and safe storage measures for firearm owners.
“Based on what we’ve seen in the last 14 years that Republicans have had that trifecta control, we have not seen specific investments that are going to help our kids in the long run,” Huseth said.
He hopes his and others’ candidacies send a message to Gillespie and other sitting members of state government: “this is what you get when you don’t serve people, when you don’t invest in communities.”
Jesse Huseth is running to be the State Representative for Tennessee House District 97, in Memphis. (Photo: Karen Pulfer Focht)
Gillespie did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Huseth had no opposition in the Democratic primary and reported nearly $86,000 on hand as of Aug. 26 (including two self-endorsed 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 being supported by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee in an effort to put a dent in the House’s Republican supermajority.
Gillespie reported around $78,600 on hand as of 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.
On crime
Gillespie’s campaign website provides a snapshot of his legislative history. He was the prime sponsor of a law increasing sentences for people convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and he helped pass a law denying probation to people who use a firearm while committing crime.
His sponsorship of the controversial “truth in sentencing” law, which requires those convicted of certain felonies to serve 100% of their sentence without parole eligibility for good behavior or program credits, is prominently featured on his site. The law received staunch opposition from the organizations like the American Conservative Union and criminal justice advocates, who pointed out that removing early release incentives could hinder anti-recidivism rehabilitation programs and cause prison populations to swell.
Gillespie’s website does not include a bill he passed as a prime sponsor this year that reversed Memphis’ effort to stop police from making “pretextual” traffic stops (pulling over motorists for a bad tail light or incorrectly placed license plate, for example). The Memphis City Council had passed the ordinance barring such stops after the beating and death of Tyre Nichols, who Memphis police pulled over for reckless driving in January 2023.
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Huseth’s approach to crime focuses on expanding Shelby County’s capacity to process evidence and receive more timely test results for things like rape kits.
“The reason I am supporting a crime lab is because … the constant conversation in Memphis is around how fast criminals are getting out on bail, and a huge part of that is because we can’t hold folks at reasonable time because we’re eight months back on DNA kits,” Huseth said.
Huseth would also focus on addressing gun violence by repealing permitless carry and instituting safe storage rules for guns in vehicles.
On guns
Huseth said he is a “big supporter of the Second Amendment,” and purchased a gun after experiencing an attempted home invasion about a decade ago.
“I actually am supporting licensure and supporting safe storage because I do not want to see an overcorrection for firearm ownership in our state,” he said.
Three gun-restriction questions set to 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 city charter amendments: requirements for handgun permits, restrictions on assault-style weapons and authority to issue extreme risk protection orders, which temporarily restrict firearm access for those deemed a threat to themselves or others. None of the amendments could go into effect without state approval.
The move to put the questions on the ballot ignited fury from House Speaker Cameron Sexton of Crossville and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge, who derided the referendum as a “political sideshow” and threatened to withhold state shared sales tax. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said he would block the referenda, 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 referenda a “fraud on the voters.”
The Tennessee Journal in August reported that Gillespie that he would vote for the referenda to appear on the ballot.
Rep. John Gillespie, R-Memphis. (Photo: John Partipilo)
On schools
Gillespie’s website does not directly mention school vouchers, but does state 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 am a pragmatist, so I believe when we see good policies functioning in other states, we should adopt them, and when we see bad policies, we shouldn’t,” he said. “And every single state … that has adopted vouchers, we have seen a ballooning of spending … beyond budget expectations, while simultaneously seeing outcomes for students that are below comparable public schools.”
I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and we’re not paying public schools. And so we’re getting terrible outcomes.
– Jesse Huseth
Gillespie’s website does not directly mention school vouchers, but does state 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, teaching eighth grade history and science and coaching the track team, which he still volunteers for. His largest class size was 35 students — the legal maximum — but it should be around 18, he said.
“I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and we’re not paying public schools. And so we’re getting terrible outcomes,” Huseth said.
Both Gillespie and Huseth advocate for more career and technical opportunities in schools, with Gillespie noting his support of increased funding for high school courses. Huseth wants more diversity in post-secondary education, pushing for more trade schools and vocational programs funded through the state’s two-year associate degree program.
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