Joe Towns Jr.

Joe Towns Jr. is a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing District 84 in Shelby County, having assumed office in January 1995 ¹. He was first elected in the November 1994 general election ¹⁰. In the 2026 election cycle, he is running for re-election to the state House in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2026, facing challenger Kyler Gilkey ¹. Towns also advanced from the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary to run for Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk in the general election on August 6, 2026, where he faces Republican Edquardo Jamison ¹. In that clerk’s race, Towns defeated Wanda Halbert by 121 votes (27.53% to 27.36%) ¹³.

Towns was born in Memphis on May 4 and grew up one block from the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; he has stated that hearing the shot and witnessing the subsequent riots prompted his civic involvement ⁸, ¹⁰, ²⁴, ³¹. He holds a B.A. in political science from LeMoyne-Owen College and an M.S. in Operational Management from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville ¹. Professionally, he has worked as a college instructor, entrepreneur, and business owner, operating a management, consulting, and entertainment company ⁸. He is a member of Mississippi Boulevard Church, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Men of Progress, 100 Black Men, and the Gardenview Home Owner Association ⁸, ²¹.

Towns has served in the Tennessee House for over three decades, sitting on numerous committees including Education Instruction and Programs, Insurance and Banking, Calendar and Rules, Commerce, Consumer & Employee Affairs, Criminal Justice, and Transportation ¹, ⁸, ²⁵. During the 107th General Assembly, he served as Assistant Democratic Leader ⁸. In the previous legislative session, he sponsored 21 bills, two of which became law: HB 2839 (revising property exemptions from garnishment) and HB 2943 (expanding indecent exposure laws to include minor victims aged 13–17) ²⁵. In January 2026, he introduced HB 2060, which would prohibit banks from converting consumer deposits into digital currency or cryptocurrency without express written authorization ²⁴.

Towns has been active in local policy discussions. Following a 43-day federal government shutdown, he told ABC24 that the impact on Shelby County families was severe, stating, "I don't know if you've ever been hungry, but hunger is not a plaything" ¹⁴, ²⁴. In 2020, he investigated an incident where poll workers turned away voters wearing "Black Lives Matter" shirts, asserting that the law does not prohibit such statements and calling for an inquiry into potential vote suppression ²³. On crime, he has argued that violent crime stems from a lack of spirituality and family structure rather than gun access, stating, "America has a God, not a gun problem" ²⁸. He is a member of the Tennessee State House Black Caucus ²¹.

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