{"biography":"Torrey C. Harris (born March 12, 1991) is a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing District 91 in Shelby County [1][9]. He assumed office on January 12, 2021, after defeating incumbent John DeBerry Jr. in the 2020 general election with 77.3% of the vote [9]. Harris was redistricted to District 91 for the 2022 cycle and won re-election in an uncontested general election after defeating a challenger in the Democratic primary [9]. He won the general election again in November 2024 with 100% of the vote (17,049 votes) [1]. Harris is currently running for re-election to District 91 in the August 6, 2026 Democratic primary against Arriell Gipson-Martin [1].\n\nHarris was one of the first two openly LGBTQ state representatives elected in Tennessee history, alongside Eddie Mannis [9][37]. He is identified as a Christian and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity [23]. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial and organizational psychology from Christian Brothers University, graduating in 2013 [23]. Prior to his legislative career, he worked as a regional human resources manager at Walmart (2010\u20132014), a recruitment manager at Morgan & Morgan law firm (2014\u20132015), and held HR roles at the nonprofit Friends for Life (2015\u20132018) [23]. He served as Human Resources Director for Shelby County Government from 2018 to 2021, including managing HR for the Shelby County Trustee office in 2020 [23].\n\nIn the Tennessee General Assembly, Harris serves on the Children & Families, Government Operations, Education Instruction, and Civil Justice committees [12]. He has chaired the Shelby County Delegation and served as Minority Floor Leader for the Democratic Caucus [23]. His legislative priorities include education funding, healthcare access, mental health services, and criminal justice reform for juveniles [12]. In 2025, Harris sponsored House Bill 1448, which would allow recall elections for school boards and other local officials in Shelby County, citing a need to \"restore the power of accountability\" following controversy over the firing of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent [16]. He also co-sponsored legislation with Republican Sen. Brent Taylor to reset school board election terms [16]. Harris received the 2022 Harvey Milk Legislator of the Year award for his advocacy [23].\n\nHarris faced legal scrutiny in July 2022 when he was arrested in Nashville on felony theft and misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a domestic dispute with an ex-boyfriend [9][26]. Harris released a statement maintaining his innocence, stating he would plead not guilty and that the incident demonstrated \"steps in policy that lawmakers like myself must work to improve throughout the justice system\" [26]. The charges were later resolved without conviction details being publicly specified in available records [23].\n\nIn 2026, Harris is under investigation regarding allegations of fraud related to his role as treasurer of the WIN TENNESSEE PAC, which solicited funds for Kamala Harris\u2019s 2024 presidential campaign [34]. The Nashville Banner reported that the PAC never filed required financial disclosures and received delinquent reports from the Federal Election Commission; its website listed a fake phone number and did not provide a P.O. box number initially [34]. The PAC eventually filed reports claiming it raised only $1,850 with minimal expenditures [34]. Harris did not respond to requests for comment regarding the investigation [34].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Torrey Harris - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Torrey_Harris)\n[9] [Torrey Harris - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrey_Harris)\n[12] [Rep. Torrey C. Harris - Run For Something](https://directory.runforsomething.net/candidate/2814/harris-torrey/)\n[13] [Vote-USA | Torrey C. Harris | Currently Elected State Representative District 91, Tennessee](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=TN&Id=TNHarrisTorrey)\n[14] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/182528/torrey-harris)\n[16] [Tennessee school boards could face voter recall under new legislation](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2025/10/23/school-board-recall-bill-filed-by-memphis-democrat/)\n[22] [Torrey C. Harris | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/torrey-harris)\n[23] [Torrey Harris \u2014 Grokipedia](https://grokipedia.com/page/Torrey_Harris)\n[26] [State Representative Torrey Harris arrested on domestic assault, theft of property charges](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/state-representative-torrey-harris-arrested-on-domestic-assault-theft-of-property-charge)\n[27] [Rep. Torrey C. Harris via the Institute for Legislative Analysis](https://scorecard.limitedgov.org/lawmakers/d39566ab-4c27-41e0-9cf5-718f9a13f3ee)\n[34] [Tennessee Rep. Harris probed for PAC fraud allegations - Nashville Banner](https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/04/tennessee-rep-torrey-harris-pac-kamala-harris/)\n[35] [Tennessee State Rep. Torrey Harris - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/386180/Torrey_Harris.html)\n[37] [Torrey Harris Wins Tennessee State Legislative Primary; Likely to Be Among First LGBTQ TN State Legislators \u2013 LGBTQ+ Victory Fund](https://victoryfund.org/news/torrey-harris-wins-tennessee-state-legislative-primary-likely-to-be-among-first-lgbtq-tn-state-legislators/)","campaigns":[],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Torrey C.","fullname":"Torrey C. Harris","lastname":"Harris","office_history":[],"summary":"Torrey C. Harris is a Democratic Tennessee State Representative for District 91 in Memphis, first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024; he faces Arriell Gipson-Martin in the 2026 primary.","terms":[],"token":"RJI5oRTfeS"}