State

State Representative, 71st District

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state representative votes on Tennessee laws and the state budget in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Candidates Compare by issue

Matt Day

Democratic

Accountant (CPA) · Columbia

The gist

Pledges to fight to eliminate the grocery tax
Supports expanding rural health care access
Supports oversight of data centers' Duck River water use
Supports fully funding TISA and raising teacher pay
Opposes programs that drain public school resources
Supports requiring new growth to pay for itself

More about Matt

View sources (1)

Pledges to fight to eliminate the grocery tax
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I'll fight to finally eliminate Tennessee's grocery tax”
Supports expanding rural health care access
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“work across the aisle to expand rural health care access”
Supports oversight of data centers' Duck River water use
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“real oversight of water withdrawals from resources like the Duck River, environmental review before self-generation facilities are approved”
Supports fully funding TISA and raising teacher pay
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I'll push to fully fund TISA and raise starting teacher pay”
Opposes programs that drain public school resources
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“keeping public dollars in public schools rather than expanding programs that drain resources from the classrooms most of our kids attend”
Supports requiring new growth to pay for itself
VOTE411 Voter Guide: Tennessee House of Representatives District 71 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of Tennessee (VOTE411) · onyourballot.vote411.org
“Lawmakers should also require growth to pay for itself.”

Kip Capley

RepublicanIncumbent

State representative; business development coordinator · Summertown

The gist

Supports lowering taxes to ease inflation on families
Pledges to work to reduce health care costs
Pledges to defend the life of the unborn
Sponsored law making assaulting first responders a felonyIn office
Sponsored law lowering the deadly-force standard to protect propertyIn office
Sponsored study of local ambulance service costsIn office

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

More about Kip

View sources (2)

Supports lowering taxes to ease inflation on families
Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative
Campaign website · Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative · votecapley.com
“advocate for lowering taxes to reduce the burden of inflation on families while protecting the future of small businesses and entrepreneurs”
Pledges to work to reduce health care costs
Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative
Campaign website · Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative · votecapley.com
“He will work tirelessly to reduce health care costs and ensure access to care is readily available.”
Pledges to defend the life of the unborn
Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative
Campaign website · Kip Capley for Tennessee State Representative · votecapley.com
“Kip will fight to defend the life of the unborn”
Sponsored law making assaulting first responders a felony
Legislation sponsored by Representative Kip Capley, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: HB2428 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“increases the penalty for assaulting a first responder from a Class A misdemeanor”
Sponsored law lowering the deadly-force standard to protect property
Legislation sponsored by Representative Kip Capley, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: HB1802 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“lowers the standard for the use of deadly force to protect property”
Sponsored study of local ambulance service costs
Legislation sponsored by Representative Kip Capley, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: HB0083 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“requires TACIR to study the economic impact on local jurisdictions that are required to provide ambulance services”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 6 issues covered in this race.