Cheri Brown
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Cheri Brown (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Tennessee House of Representatives to represent District 37. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cheri Brown earned a high school diploma from Nashua Senior High School.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37
Incumbent Charlie Baum defeated Cheri Brown in the general election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Charlie Baum (R) | 64.2 | 16,854 |
 | Cheri Brown (D)  | 35.8 | 9,389 | |
| Total votes: 26,243 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37
Cheri Brown advanced from the Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 on August 1, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cheri Brown | 100.0 | 1,291 |
| Total votes: 1,291 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37
Incumbent Charlie Baum advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 on August 1, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Charlie Baum | 100.0 | 2,487 |
| Total votes: 2,487 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brown in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cheri Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a retired, disabled former warehouse worker who is passionate about fighting for equality and justice for poor and working-class people, including our senior citizens, veterans, and those with disabilities.
- As a progressive Democratic candidate running for the Tennessee State House, I firmly believe that every person deserves the fundamental right to make decisions about their own body, free from government interference. This includes the right to access comprehensive reproductive healthcare services, including abortion, without facing unnecessary barriers or judgment. I am committed to advocating for policies that protect and expand these rights for all Tennesseans, regardless of their gender identity, socioeconomic status, or personal beliefs.
- Rutherford County is facing an affordable housing crisis, with 47% of households allocating over 30% of their income to rent. We need to expand subsidized housing and prioritize building for basic housing needs over luxury units. Also, soaring median house prices, coupled with income levels that didn’t rise comparatively, require us to create incentives for the development of modest, affordable starter homes. With an alarming eviction rate nearing 10%, we need to work to curb homelessness. The lack of permanent shelter facilities for the unhoused underscores the need for investment in transitional housing and sustainable solutions, effectively combating homelessness and the cycle of poverty.
- Passing and adequately funding legislation is crucial to reducing poverty among our poorest residents. Our state’s failure to utilize over $717 million in unspent funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program over the past 10 years is unacceptable, leaving countless families struggling to meet basic needs. Additionally, Tennessee families face exorbitant childcare costs, with annual expenses ranging from $9,742 to $11,501, consuming up to 45% of single parents’ median income. Investing in preschool and updating childcare assistance programs are vital steps to alleviate this financial strain.
I have been a decades-long supporter of the need to create affordable housing. I was a founding board member of an affordable housing nonprofit in the early 1990s. I am currently an active member of several state and national housing organizations. Additionally, I have been a champion for the disabled my entire life, including my siblings, my own children, and the many foster children placed in my care over a seven-year time period. I have fought the exclusion and outright discrimination against my family for decades and provide guidance to parent's with special needs on how to best advocate for their own children in securing a free, appropriate education. Lastly, I am passionate about teaching people how to stand up for their rights.
I strongly urge folks to learn about the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival which is an American anti-poverty campaign led by William Barber II and Liz Theoharis. https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives have several core responsibilities, including:
1. Legislation: proposing, debating, and voting on new laws and amendments to existing laws. This includes introducing bills, working on committees, and participating in legislative sessions.Re
2. Constituent Services: representing the interests and concerns of my constituents. This involves responding to requests for assistance, addressing local issues, and ensuring that the needs of my district are heard in the legislative process.
3. Budget and Finance: participating in the development and approval of the state budget. This includes reviewing and voting on budget proposals, appropriations, and funding allocations for various state programs and services.
4. Oversight: monitoring the implementation of laws and the performance of state agencies. This involves conducting hearings, investigations, and audits to ensure that state programs are functioning effectively and efficiently.
5. Community Engagement: engaging with the community through town halls, public forums, and other events to stay informed about local issues and maintain open lines of communication with constituents. I will have an open-door policy while in session and will be available by telephone and email the entire year. If my constituents can't travel to Nashville, I will meet with them in Rutherford County.
6. Representation: advocating for the interests of my district at the state level. This includes collaborating with other legislators, lobbying for resources and support for local projects, and ensuring that my district's needs are prioritized in state policies and programs.
Overall, members of the Tennessee House of Representatives play a crucial role in shaping state laws, policies, and budgets, while also serving as a vital link between the state government and the people I represent.
Power to the People by John Lennon.
The ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature is one that emphasizes collaboration on common goals, mutual respect, accountability and transparency, responsive governance, effective checks and balances, the promotion of equity and sustainability, and constructive opposition when necessary. This approach aims to ensure effective governance and the well-being of all citizens, despite ideological differences.
I believe the State of Tennessee's greatest challenges over the next decade revolve around reducing poverty through enhanced funding for our social safety net programs, expanding the Medicaid health insurance program, passing common-sense gun laws to help reduce childhood deaths and injuries caused by guns, ensuring the separation of church and state is maintained for charter school funding with federal and taxpayer funds, addressing the affordable housing crisis by implementing state incentive programs for cities, towns, and counties to build more affordable housing, and passing comprehensive reproductive rights laws.
Our state, and certainly many of our largest cities, are currently experiencing a surge in population from people moving to our state. This has caused traffic congestion, overcrowded schools, and a lack of affordable housing. We welcome our newest residents, but we must remain cognizant of the added demands placed on our local governments and school systems.
The last of the Baby Boomer generation is reaching age 65. This is a large population, that will most likely, at some point in the future, require some form of caretaking service, either in their homes, assisted living centers, or nursing homes. We do not have enough trained CNAs and nurses now, and many facilities and home health care providers are understaffed. We must assess our future needs and develop a robust cadre of caregivers of all types.
It certainly would be beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government, however, I don't feel that not having said experience would have such an impact as to render a legislator completely ineffective or unable to perform their various duties. There are enough experienced legislators on both sides of the aisle to provide guidance and training to their incoming colleagues.
Yes, I believe that it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators on both sides of the aisle. If we wish to pass meaningful legislation, it is imperative to have such relationships. This allows for co-sponsorships, ideally from both parties, to show that there is strong bipartisan support for the proposed legislation. Additionally, I feel that it is important to get to know the people that I work with, even those with opposing views from mine. I want people to know me for who I am and not just my party affiliation. It is time to begin to bridge the gap between both parties, which will allow for more compromises and fewer bills not even being considered in committee for the lack of a second.
Representative Gloria Johnson is the current legislator whom I deeply admire for her conviction to fight against every piece of legislation that would not be in the best interests of her constituents and most of the voters in our state. She's not afraid to stand up to power! She deeply cares for our collective safety, fighting for commonsense gun laws. She's not afraid to fight for our reproductive rights or to expand healthcare in rural areas. She works to lower the costs of housing, groceries, and education and wants to increase funding for public schools and teacher salaries.
Representative Gloria Johnson and I are in complete alignment with the belief that we need to take care of our constituents, protect the innocent from unjust policies and laws, and fight for a Tennessee where everyone matters regardless of their color, economic status, or sexual orientation.
I am currently not interested in running for a different political office at this point in time.
November 23, 2023, was the day before Thanksgiving. A 90-year-old disabled woman and her live-in grandson caretaker, found a Notice of Nonrenewal on their apartment door. They were given until December 29th to vacate her home of ten years. The new apartment complex owner was raising rents between $200.00 and $400.00 per month at lease renewals. The new owner wanted her out in order to renovate the apartment and justify such a large rent increase.
When the news got out, thanks to a local news station's reporting, our community, including myself, rallied around these two people and helped secure them an additional two month extension on their lease by enacting a pressure campaign on social media and a petition drive. Sadly, the only place that was affordable on her fixed income and met her physical needs was located several hours away from the community she had called home for ten years.
I will fight for tenants' rights for the elderly, the disabled and our very low-income citizens who are faced with similar circumstances. This population is not able to quickly and easily secure another place to call home. Many have physical limitations requiring a first floor apartment, or require a completely handicapped accessible unit. Very low-income tenants typically don't have the financial means to move within the typical 30-day Notice to Vacate window. Many have either limited or no options for a place to rent and could be at risk of homelessness. In many areas of the state, subsidized housing waitlists are two years long and are no longer accepting applications.
This 90-year-old grandmother and grandson, despite moving several hours away from their community, have settled into their new home and are doing well. Had they not been granted an extra two months to move, she most likely would've ended up going into a nursing home to avoid becoming homeless. We must do better for this vulnerable population.
From a governance and democratic accountability perspective, the legislature should play a crucial role in overseeing and granting emergency powers. This ensures that such powers are used appropriately, effectively, and within the bounds of democratic principles.
I would introduce a bill that mandates that the state accept public school funding from the U.S. Department of Education without exception and excludes the payment of state funds to religious charter schools.
There have been public comments that some legislators in our state would reject billions in U.S. Department of Education school funding in order to undermine the federal laws pertaining to the education of special needs students and to allow for unfettered funding to private religious charter schools, which is against the separation of church and state.
Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood; Change TN; Tennessee Families for Vaccines; Mental Health Now;
I am highly interested in serving on the following subcommittees:
1. Civil Justice
2. Children & Family Affairs
3. Criminal Justice
4. Property & Planning
5. Cities and Counties
6. Public Service
Financial transparency and government accountability are fundamental for a healthy democracy, promoting trust, preventing corruption, and ensuring that public resources are used effectively and ethically.
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A state ballot initiative process would be extremely good for the state of Tennessee. Currently, there is a conservative Republican trifecta, with numerous laws passed, of which polling shows 75% to 85% of residents disapprove. Until such time as this trifecta is broken and a more balanced legislature is elected, the majority of citizens do not have a voice on many issues.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Tennessee House of Representatives District 37 |
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Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 3, 2024
