{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAnna Golladay is a Democratic candidate running for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District in the 2026 cycle.[1] She declared her candidacy on February 7, 2026, to challenge incumbent Republican Representative Chuck Fleischmann in the general election.[4][7] Golladay is seeking the Democratic nomination in a primary scheduled for August 6, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026.[1]\n\nGolladay, who identifies as a progressive faith leader and small business owner, states that she is running to bring \"moral courage back to leadership\" and to fight for the dignity of every person in the state.[5][8] She characterizes her campaign as a choice between \"care over cruelty\" and \"courage over silence,\" arguing that District 3 deserves more than \"indifference dressed up as leadership.\"[9] Golladay asserts that the congressional seat does not belong to Fleischmann but rather to the residents of the district.[4][7]\n\nThe candidate has framed her challenge against Fleischmann as a battle against gerrymandering, noting that the district's boundaries make it difficult for Democrats to win.[3] Golladay emphasizes that she will not give the incumbent the benefit of the doubt regarding his re-election prospects, stating that the seat belongs to the people who are represented by them.[4][10]\n\n## Background and education\n\nAnna Golladay is 52 years old [4]. She and her husband of 28 years, Mike, reside in the Park Central neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee [5]. Golladay self-describes as a progressive faith leader and small business owner [2][8]. Her religious affiliation is with the United Methodist Church, where she previously served as a pastor [6]. In 2018, she was fired from her position as a United Methodist Minister for performing a same-gender wedding [11].\n\nGolladay owns and operates Biased Apparel, a clothing company she founded in 2011 [5]. She also serves as the CEO of Work of Place, a consulting firm that helps faith communities utilize their buildings and assets to improve local economic stability [5].\n\n## Career\n\nAnna Golladay self-describes as a progressive faith leader and small business owner [2]. She owns and operates Biased Apparel, a clothing company she founded in 2011 [5]. Additionally, Golladay serves as the CEO of Work of Place, a consulting firm that assists faith communities in utilizing their buildings and assets to improve the economic stability of surrounding neighborhoods [5].\n\nGolladay is a former pastor for the United Methodist Church [6]. She made headlines in 2018 after being fired from her position for performing a same-gender wedding [11].\n\n## Office history\n\nGolladay served as a United Methodist minister before leaving the denomination in 2018 after being fired for performing a same-gender wedding [11]. She subsequently worked as a faith leader and community organizer, while also operating Biased Apparel, a clothing company she founded in 2011, and Work of Place, a consulting firm for faith communities [5].\n\nIn local politics, Golladay ran for Chattanooga City Council\u2019s District 8 seat. She lost the runoff election for this position in April 2025 [6].\n\nGolladay announced her candidacy for the Democratic primary to represent Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 7, 2026 [4][7][10]. The primary election is scheduled for August 6, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026 [1]. She is challenging incumbent Republican Representative Chuck Fleischmann [3][4]. As of May 11, 2026, the outcome of this race remains unknown [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nGolladay\u2019s public profile includes a 2018 incident in which she was fired from her position as a United Methodist Minister for performing a same-gender wedding [11]. This event generated media attention regarding her stance on church policy and LGBTQ+ rights at that time [11].\n\nIn the 2025 election cycle, Golladay ran for Chattanooga City Council\u2019s District 8 seat but lost in a runoff race held in April of that year [6]. She has since shifted her political focus to the U.S. House of Representatives, declaring her candidacy for the Democratic primary in Tennessee\u2019s 3rd Congressional District on February 7, 2026 [1][4][7].\n\nGolladay has publicly criticized incumbent U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, stating that the seat \"does not belong to him\" but rather to the residents of District 3 [4][7]. She characterizes his leadership as \"indifference dressed up as leadership\" and asserts that he prioritizes donors over working families [6][8]. Golladay describes her own platform as fighting for \"care over cruelty\" and \"courage over silence,\" positioning herself as a progressive faith leader and small business owner [2][9].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nGolladay self-describes as a small business owner and states that she owns and operates Biased Apparel, a clothing company she founded in 2011 [5]. She also serves as the CEO of Work of Place, a consulting firm that assists faith communities in utilizing their buildings and assets to improve the economic stability of local neighbors [5].\n\nHer professional background includes work as a progressive faith leader and a former pastor for the United Methodist Church [6]. Golladay was fired from her position as a United Methodist Minister in 2018 after performing a same-gender wedding [11].\n\n## Family\n\nGolladay is married to Mike, whom she has been married to for 28 years [5]. The couple resides in the Park Central neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee [5]. There are no publicly notable details regarding children or other family members in politics available in the provided sources.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Anna Golladay - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Anna_Golladay)\n[2] [Anna Golladay - Vote Common Good](https://www.votecommongood.com/wps-members/anna-golladay/)\n[3] [Times Opinion: Can Anna Golladay beat the gerrymander? | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/feb/09/times-opinion-can-anna-golladay-beat-the/)\n[4] [Democrat Anna Golladay will challenge Chuck Fleischmann for Congress in 2026 | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/feb/07/democrat-anna-golladay-will-challenge-chuck/)\n[5] [About Anna - Golladay for Congress](https://annagolladay.com/about-anna/)\n[6] [Anna Golladay's Campaign for U.S. Representative in District 3 | Local News | local3news.com](https://www.local3news.com/local-news/democrat-anna-golladay-challenging-rep-chuck-fleischmann-for-congress/article_4b4c90a3-ed6e-4be9-94b6-a5fd6a53863b.html)\n[7] [Democrat Anna Golladay announces run for 3rd District - WDEF](https://www.wdef.com/democrat-anna-golladay-announces-run-for-3rd-district/)\n[8] [Donate to Anna Golladay for Congress](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/anna-golladay)\n[9] [Home - Golladay for Congress](https://annagolladay.com/)\n[10] [Democrat Anna Golladay announces run for 3rd District | WGOW-FM](https://www.wgow.com/2026/02/09/democrat-anna-golladay-announces-run-for-3rd-district/)\n[11] [Anna Golladay \u2013 Live from Wild Goose Festival](https://matthiasroberts.com/queerology/e84-anna-golladay/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_3","county":"Anderson","county_count":20,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"US House District 3"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"hamilton","displayname":"Golladay, Anna","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"07/22/25","documentid":"BA1E2FAA-BCFE-426E-8369-47EAA8F98058","documentname":"2025 Mid-Year Supplemental","documentnameid":["BA1E2FAA-BCFE-426E-8369-47EAA8F98058","2025 Mid-Year Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/01/25","documentid":"F5A5F1BF-7894-4C10-A561-F6CCC3640E58","documentname":"Pre-Runoff 2025","documentnameid":["F5A5F1BF-7894-4C10-A561-F6CCC3640E58","Pre-Runoff 2025"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/25/25","documentid":"37EA1664-3621-474E-86B0-4325C54B576C","documentname":"Pre-General 2025","documentnameid":["37EA1664-3621-474E-86B0-4325C54B576C","Pre-General 2025"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/31/25","documentid":"59998055-8799-4925-83C1-249C903D3260","documentname":"2024 Year-End Supplemental","documentnameid":["59998055-8799-4925-83C1-249C903D3260","2024 Year-End Supplemental"],"documenttype":"Campaign Financial Disclosure","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"08/07/24","documentid":"EEEE3BDB-3479-4E7D-B99E-4E10D38AD31D","documentname":"Appt of Treasurer 2025","documentnameid":["EEEE3BDB-3479-4E7D-B99E-4E10D38AD31D","Appt of Treasurer 2025"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Political Treasurer","electionname":null}],"filertype":"Candidate","officename":"Chattanooga Council Dist. 8","source_customer_id":"0F5A08EE-617A-4B11-AD30-E963AE98E120","source_filer_id":"09E85585-149A-4A99-BBC2-75B3DEE716BB","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Anna","fullname":"Anna Golladay","lastname":"Golladay","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_3","contest_title":"US House District 3","county":"Anderson","county_count":20,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_3","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"us_house_3","contest_title":"US House District 3","county":"Anderson","county_count":20,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house_3","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house_3","office_title":"US House District 3","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Anna Golladay is a Democratic candidate for Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District in the 2026 election, challenging incumbent Chuck Fleischmann.","terms":[],"token":"oc7pR24yy5"}