Winning State Legislative Candidates Put Students Above Politics

NASHVILLE –  Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) is celebrating the role support for Tennessee public school students played in the success of candidates for key state primary races.

TSS is Tennessee-based and Tennessee-grown, and we care about providing Tennessee kids with access to a high-quality public school education. In the lead-up to the August 6th state primary, our political action committee, TSS Action, engaged voters with information about candidates who share these same values – and the records and statements of those who do not.

This included working to protect incumbents from challengers who prioritized politics over championing students, disrupting the status quo by backing new candidates who refuse to rest on the laurels of Tennessee's education progress, and uplifting the success of 1 million public school students as the most important issue in this election.

"The candidates who won may have come from a diversity of backgrounds and political positions, but they all share the same focus on setting students up for success," said Lana Skelo, TSS President and CEO. "In primary after primary, the candidates who shied away from student-first policies lost while those who boldly supported providing all children with access to a quality public education won. Voters demand leaders who will prioritize the right policies that ensure accountability in the classroom and produce better outcomes for kids."

TSS Action-supported candidates below all won their primary races.

• U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn
• HD8 Jordan Henderson
• HD11 Kenny Cody
• HD18 Rep. Elaine Davis
• HD31 Andy Swafford
• HD45 Brian Stewart
• HD65 Rep. Lee Reeves
• HD78 Perry Keenan
• SD1 Sen. Adam Lowe
• SD5 Jimmy Matlock

The education positions each ran on in the August primary will place them in a strong position to win their races in November's general election.