State Senator, 31st District · Tennessee 2026 General Election

David Weatherspoon

Democratic

Chaplain · Germantown

The gist

Opposes the private school voucher program.
Opposes a state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Supports expanding pre-K and raising teacher pay.
Supports expanding Medicaid to lower health costs.
Supports background checks on private and gun-show sales.
Proposes more state prosecutors and a Memphis crime lab.

More about David

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Opposes the private school voucher program.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“The private school voucher program is the exact opposite of what we should be doing, as it takes funding from public schools”
Opposes a state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“MSCS doesn’t need a state takeover. That's already been tried and it failed.”
Supports expanding pre-K and raising teacher pay.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“We must expand access to pre-K which has also happened in states such as Florida, Illinois and Oklahoma.”
Supports expanding Medicaid to lower health costs.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“We can lower healthcare costs by expanding Medicaid and increasing access to care.”
Supports background checks on private and gun-show sales.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“We can require background checks for private & gun show sales to keep guns out of hands of criminals.”
Proposes more state prosecutors and a Memphis crime lab.
Platform - David Weatherspoon for TN Senate D-31
Campaign website · David Weatherspoon for TN District 31 · davidweatherspoonfortn.com
“Advocate for a dedicated crime lab for Memphis & Shelby County”

Brent Taylor

RepublicanIncumbent

State senator; funeral home owner · Eads

The gist

Supports finishing the border wall and ending sanctuary policies.
Pledges to cut wasteful programs and oppose omnibus bills.
Supports long sentences for repeat violent offenders.
Sponsored a presumption against no-bail release for violent felonies.In office
Sponsored state oversight boards for struggling school districts.In office
Sponsored a new criminal offense of human smuggling.In office
Sponsored a law barring utilities from subsidizing data center hookups.In office
Sponsored a law requiring agencies to honor immigration detainers.In office

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

More about Brent

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Supports finishing the border wall and ending sanctuary policies.
Issues - Brent Taylor for Tennessee
Campaign website · Brent Taylor for Tennessee · brenttaylorforcongress.com
“he will fight to finish the border wall, restore strong enforcement, deport criminal illegal immigrants, end sanctuary policies”
Pledges to cut wasteful programs and oppose omnibus bills.
Issues - Brent Taylor for Tennessee
Campaign website · Brent Taylor for Tennessee · brenttaylorforcongress.com
“he will cut wasteful programs, eliminate fraud and ideological spending, oppose bloated omnibus bills”
Supports long sentences for repeat violent offenders.
Issues - Brent Taylor for Tennessee
Campaign website · Brent Taylor for Tennessee · brenttaylorforcongress.com
“demanding long sentences for repeat violent offenders, limiting early release for dangerous criminals”
Sponsored a presumption against no-bail release for violent felonies.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: SB0218 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“establishes a presumption that a defendant should not be released on the defendant’s personal recognizance”
Sponsored state oversight boards for struggling school districts.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: SB0714 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“requires an educational oversight board to be created for an LEA that meets certain criteria”
Sponsored a new criminal offense of human smuggling.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: SB0392 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“creates the offense of human smuggling”
Sponsored a law barring utilities from subsidizing data center hookups.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: SB2128 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“generally prohibits a municipality or electric utility to pay or absorb the cost of electrical infrastructure incurred to serve a data center”
Sponsored a law requiring agencies to honor immigration detainers.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Brent Taylor, 114th General Assembly
Government record · Tennessee General Assembly · Bills Sponsored: SB1486 · wapp.capitol.tn.gov
“include a requirement that the agency accept and honor any immigration detainer received from federal immigration authorities”