{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Ray Clemmons is a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 55th district in West Nashville. He was first elected in 2014 by defeating incumbent Gary Odom in the Democratic primary with 54 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections. He has also served as House Democratic Caucus Chair. In 2019 he ran for Nashville mayor, finishing fourth in a ten-candidate field.\n\nClemmons has focused on public education, affordable housing, and infrastructure. He was rated 92 percent by NORML in 2019. In January 2022 he publicly criticized McMinn County schools' decision to remove the Holocaust novel Maus from curriculum. He serves on and advocates for issues coming before multiple House committees.\n\n## Background and education\nClemmons was born on July 14, 1977, in Lebanon, Tennessee, and attended Lebanon High School, graduating with honors in 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Columbia University in 1999, where he competed on the lightweight crew team. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Law School in 2006.\n\n## Career\nClemmons is a practicing civil litigation attorney in Nashville.\n\n## Family\nHe is married to Tamara Baxt and they have three children. The family lives in Nashville.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [John Ray Clemmons \u2013 Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ray_Clemmons)\n- [2] [The Too-Early Short List for Tennessee's Next Governor \u2013 Nashville Scene](https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/citylimits/tennessee-next-potential-governor/article_afc08130-ee21-11ef-848f-e3ae60c43ea2.html)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_055","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"TN House District 55"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"John Ray","fullname":"John Ray Clemmons","lastname":"Clemmons","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_055","contest_title":"TN House District 55","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house_055","office_title":"State Representative District 55","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"state_house_055","contest_title":"TN House District 55","county":"Davidson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house_055","office_title":"State Representative District 55","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house_055","office_title":"State Representative District 55","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"uTTc5CoWSo"}