Early voting is underway in Tennessee. Two Republicans are vying for the Tennessee House District 97 seat, including incumbent Rep. John Gillespie and Christina Oppenhuizen.
State House District 97 encompasses portions of Shelby County suburbs. The district has been held by Gillespie since 2020.
In November, Democratic candidate Jesse Huseth will face whoever wins the Republican primary, as no other Democratic qualified for the ballot.
The Commercial Appeal reached out to both Gillespie and Oppenhuizen and sent a series of questions to inform voters. Candidate responses have been put in the order they will appear on the ballot.
Some responses have been edited for formatting and clarity.
John Gillespie, incumbent
Q: What is your background and any experience relevant to this elected office?
A: Four years (two terms) as State Representative for House District 97
Q: Why are you running for this position?
A: I’m seeking re-election to continue fighting crime in Memphis. Crime is by far the top concern of Memphians. Folks in our community are most concerned about violent crime but most impacted by property crimes. My top priority as State Representative for East Memphis and Cordova is combatting the crime wave facing our community.
Q: What issues are the most important to your constituents?
A: Crime is the single most important issue to Memphians. We’re concerned about the threat of violence and economic impact of property crimes. Memphians are tired of going to the store or a restaurant and returning to find their car window smashed or their vehicle stolen.
Q: How will you work to address the major issues impacting your constituents?
A: I am laser focused on fighting crime in Memphis. I sponsored the law requiring violent criminals serve their full prison sentence without parole. I passed a law denying probation to violent offenders who use a firearm in commission of a crime.
Strengthening the laws concerning bail is important to me. I voted to require bail conditions be monitored and enforced. Previously, no one was responsible for monitoring those released on bail and there were no consequences for violating bail conditions. The new law makes it a crime to violate the conditions of bail. I also sponsored a law strengthening the penalties for drag racing, and I voted to hire 200 additional State Troopers in Tennessee. The Memphis Police Association has endorsed me for my efforts to fight crime.
Q: What would three of your top priorities be for your district if elected?
A: Fighting crime is my top priority as State Representative, and I anticipate it’ll remain my top priority for some time. It’s critical we get crime under control for the Memphis area to recognize our full potential economically.
Ford Motor Company is making an historic investment in their new electric truck plant in nearby Haywood County. Elon Musk has placed his revolutionary “gigafactory of compute” in southwest Memphis. These two ventures present a unique opportunity to grow the Memphis economy. I’ve been a strong supporter of fiscally conservative economic policies that have made Tennessee one of the best states in the country for business. A record number of new businesses have opened in our state. We have a AAA bond rating, the least debt per person of any state, and some of the lowest taxes in America. If we can meet Memphis’ crime challenge, I’m confident our community is poised for historic economic growth.
A third priority is improving our schools. I supported $500 million in new funding for career and technical courses in our middle and high schools. Many of the jobs of the near future will require high-skilled labor and our recent investments in CTE should pay huge dividends.
Christina Oppenhuizen
Q: What is your background and any experience relevant to this elected office?
A: I have no experience running for office. I am as grassroots as they come. :-)
Q: Why are you running for this position?
A: I am running because the only way to make a difference and bring change is to position yourself in a place that can make that happen.
Q: What issues are the most important to your constituents?
A: I would say crime, and economy
Q: How will you work to address the major issues impacting your constituents?
A: First and foremost if you have an infection you have to get to the root of it instead of just putting a band aid on it. Right now a lot of politicians put a band aid on the symptoms instead of finding the root of the infection. So I would say to start I would begin by holding elected officials accountable however that can be done. We can pass good bills all day long but if the people in power who are meant to enforce it are corrupt then it really doesn’t matter. So I will work towards accountability with elected officials to start.
Q: What would three of your top priorities be for your district if elected?
A: To clean house, in the house by making elected officials in positions of power be accountable for corruption. To figure out the currency that will make criminals feel the consequences of their actions. To find a way to boost my district's economy by putting tax payer dollars where they already should be going.
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