{"county":null,"description":"The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with 99 members elected from single-member districts to two-year terms. Representatives pass state laws, originate revenue bills, approve the state budget, and \u2014 together with the Senate \u2014 confirm gubernatorial appointments and propose constitutional amendments. Candidates must be at least 21 years old, U.S. citizens, Tennessee residents for at least three years, and district residents for at least one year.","district":"084","districtgroup":"state_house","id":308,"key":"state_house_084","lastchangeby":null,"name":null,"next_election":null,"notes":null,"officegroup":"tn_house","partisan":1,"party":null,"qualities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"tn","term_end":null,"term_start":null,"term_years":2,"terms":[{"current":0,"description":"","electiondate":"2022-11-08","name":"Joe Towns Jr.","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoe Towns Jr. has represented Tennessee House District 84 (Memphis, southern Shelby County) since 1995 [1]. In the 2026 cycle he is separately seeking Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk: he won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary for that office, narrowly defeating incumbent Clerk Wanda Halbert by 121 votes - 19,329 to 19,208, each roughly 27.5% of a five-candidate field [2][3]. Towns advances to the August 6, 2026 general election for Criminal Court Clerk against Republican Edquardo Jamison [3]. Separately, Shelby County Election Commission petition-filing records show Towns also qualified as a Democratic primary candidate for his existing House District 84 seat, for the August 6, 2026 state primary [4]. The two candidacies are distinct races (a county general election and a state legislative primary) that happen to fall on the same date.\n\n## Background and education\nTowns was born May 4 in Memphis. He holds a B.A. in political science from LeMoyne-Owen College and an M.S. in operational management from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is a member of Mississippi Boulevard Church [1].\n\n## Career\nTowns describes himself in his official legislative biography as a \"Business/Entrepreneur and Former College Instructor\" who operates a management, consulting, and entertainment company [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nFirst elected to the House in 1994, Towns has sponsored legislation aimed at reviving the Tennessee Horse Racing Commission and bringing horse racing back to Memphis, framed as a way to \"keep gambling dollars from slipping out of Shelby County\" [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Representative Joe Towns, Jr.](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/archives/107GA/members/h84.html) - Tennessee General Assembly official biography, accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Towns edges out Halbert by 121 votes in primary](https://wreg.com/news/your-local-election-headquarters/towns-edges-out-halbert-by-121-votes-in-primary/) - WREG\n[3] [Joe Towns Jr. edges out Wanda Halbert for Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/joe-towns-jr-edges-out-wanda-halbert-for-shelby-county-criminal-court-clerk/article_974e4e05-1837-4ff0-8077-39d4c22ad24b.html) - Fox13 Memphis\n[4] Petitions Issued and Filed as of COB March 9, 2026 - Shelby County Election Commission, https://electionsshelbytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Petitioins-Issued-and-Filed-as-of-COB-March-9-2026.pdf\n[5] [Towns trying to revive state horse racing commission](https://dailymemphian.com/article/3017/Towns-trying-to-revive-state-horse-racing-commission) - Daily Memphian","firstname":"Joe","lastname":"Towns","suffix":"Jr.","token":"IZj74LVUJY"},"term_end":"2024-12-31","term_start":"2023-01-01"},{"current":1,"description":null,"electiondate":"2024-08-01","name":"Joe Towns Jr","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJoe Towns Jr. has represented Tennessee House District 84 (Memphis, southern Shelby County) since 1995 [1]. In the 2026 cycle he is separately seeking Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk: he won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary for that office, narrowly defeating incumbent Clerk Wanda Halbert by 121 votes - 19,329 to 19,208, each roughly 27.5% of a five-candidate field [2][3]. Towns advances to the August 6, 2026 general election for Criminal Court Clerk against Republican Edquardo Jamison [3]. Separately, Shelby County Election Commission petition-filing records show Towns also qualified as a Democratic primary candidate for his existing House District 84 seat, for the August 6, 2026 state primary [4]. The two candidacies are distinct races (a county general election and a state legislative primary) that happen to fall on the same date.\n\n## Background and education\nTowns was born May 4 in Memphis. He holds a B.A. in political science from LeMoyne-Owen College and an M.S. in operational management from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is a member of Mississippi Boulevard Church [1].\n\n## Career\nTowns describes himself in his official legislative biography as a \"Business/Entrepreneur and Former College Instructor\" who operates a management, consulting, and entertainment company [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nFirst elected to the House in 1994, Towns has sponsored legislation aimed at reviving the Tennessee Horse Racing Commission and bringing horse racing back to Memphis, framed as a way to \"keep gambling dollars from slipping out of Shelby County\" [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Representative Joe Towns, Jr.](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/archives/107GA/members/h84.html) - Tennessee General Assembly official biography, accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Towns edges out Halbert by 121 votes in primary](https://wreg.com/news/your-local-election-headquarters/towns-edges-out-halbert-by-121-votes-in-primary/) - WREG\n[3] [Joe Towns Jr. edges out Wanda Halbert for Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/joe-towns-jr-edges-out-wanda-halbert-for-shelby-county-criminal-court-clerk/article_974e4e05-1837-4ff0-8077-39d4c22ad24b.html) - Fox13 Memphis\n[4] Petitions Issued and Filed as of COB March 9, 2026 - Shelby County Election Commission, https://electionsshelbytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Petitioins-Issued-and-Filed-as-of-COB-March-9-2026.pdf\n[5] [Towns trying to revive state horse racing commission](https://dailymemphian.com/article/3017/Towns-trying-to-revive-state-horse-racing-commission) - Daily Memphian","firstname":"Joe","lastname":"Towns","suffix":"Jr.","token":"IZj74LVUJY"},"term_end":"2026-08-01","term_start":"2024-08-01"}],"title":"State Representative District 84","type":"legislative","url":"https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/legislatorinfo/member.aspx?district=H84","whenchanged":"2026-06-19 17:40:13"}