Knox County voters will have an opportunity to elect a woman in almost every single race this fall, up and down the ballot.
With Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race and two women fighting to be Tennessee's U.S. senator, more women than men are on Knox County ballots.
Only two races don't have a female candidate: Tennessee House Districts 15, where two men are facing off, and 19, where a man is running unopposed.
The number of women follows a nationwide trend that could end up closing the huge gap in political representation. In Tennessee , just 20 out of 132 Tennessee legislators, or 15%, are women .
Tennessee has the second-lowest percentage of women in the state legislature
The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University collects data about women in American politics going back to 1975.
Tennessee is among the worst for putting women in public office.
"The people in power, overwhelmingly, especially in these very red legislatures, are men," Jean Sinzdak, the organization's associate director, told Knox News..
"And (they're) longtime incumbents. We're seeing this moment of, 'Well, wait a minute, we need to have women's voices in the chambers to address the realities of what they're living day-to-day.'"
The numbers in recent years used to be slightly better. In 2005 and 2006, 25 women were in the Tennessee General Assembly, which equates to 19% of the legislature.
The only state that has fewer women in its legislature is West Virginia, where women make up just 11.9%. Nevada, in contrast, has a legislature that tops 60% women.
Having more women running for office means more could eventually head to Nashville to represent their communities.
"I think what's happening here, right now in Tennessee, is reflective of what we've seen broadly throughout history," Sinzdak said.
Supreme Court's Dobbs decision put abortion at the forefront
It's not a coincidence that more women are running this fall. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on women's longstanding constitutional right to an abortion, Tennessee lawmakers stepped back to allow one of the country's most restrictive bans, passed while Roe was still in effect, to kick in.
The implications of the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade have spread not just to abortion, but to reproductive rights in general, Sinzdak said, including worries about the future of in vitro fertilization.
"What you see is women saying, 'Wait a minute, this is too far. We're overreaching,'" she said.
A Vanderbilt poll published in May found a gender gap on key issues across Tennessee. A majority of Tennessee women, 57%, now identify as definitely or somewhat pro-choice regardless of their political ideology.
The issue is a driving force for some Democratic candidates. Jane George is making women's rights in general the focus of her campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett. She's motivated to improve economic conditions for women, and the body autonomy that abortion provides.
U.S. Senate candidate Gloria Johnson has spoken openly about how having the medical procedure saved her life .
The debate over the future of abortion exceptions motivates Republicans, too. Monica Irvine unsuccessfully sought her party's nomination over state Sen. Becky Massey. Irvine told Knox News she got into the race because Massey co-sponsored legislation that would decriminalize abortions performed on victims of rape and incest. Irvine thinks the district should be represented by someone who votes 100% pro-life.
Gender divides go far beyond abortion
The Vanderbilt poll found a gender gap on several other election issues, too.
A majority of state voters want a Medicaid expansion, for example. A much larger share of women, 70%, support expansion compared to 54% of men.
“The differences we see among registered voters on issues related to reproductive issues, gun restrictions, the expansion of Medicaid and willingness to get a vaccine for serious illnesses suggests that differences in opinion by gender may have important implications for both voting and policy decisions, in our state and across the country," Vanderbilt Poll co-director Joshua Clinton said.
Sinzdak agreed. Women are often their family's primary caregivers, and those life experiences translate into how they legislate. Having a balance in who legislates rounds out the voices on so many issues.
"When you have a diverse governing body in every way, so by gender, by race, by socioeconomic status etc., you're more likely to have issues addressed that would otherwise go unseen because they're reflective of every elected officials' life experience," she said. "It's more about making sure that voices are heard."
Women running in races on Knox County ballots
President
- Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris will face Republican former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Senate
- Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn will face Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson
U.S. House
State Senate District 6
- Democrat Donomica Bryan will face Republican state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey.
State House District 14
- Democrat Amanda Collins will face Republican state Rep. Jason Zachary.
State House District 16
- Republican state Rep. Michele Carringer will face Democrat Lauren Carver.
State House District 18
- Republican state Rep. Elaine Davis will face Democrat Bryan Goldberg.
State House District 89
- Democrat Cary Hammond will face Republican state Rep. Justin Lafferty
State House District 90
- State Rep. Gloria Johnson, a Democrat, is unopposed.
USA TODAY Network-Tennessee reporter Melissa Brown contributed to this report.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 'Making sure voices are heard': Knox County voters can select a woman in almost every race
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