Candidate Directory
To view the Candidate Directory for the Tennessee District 32 Special Election, click here.
Brenda Gilmore
Senate District19
New
Democrat
Nashville
@repgilmore
SURVEY QUESTIONS
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother?
Oppose
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make either sexual orientation or gender identity/expression a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?
Support
Would you support or oppose a bill to amend Tennessee’s marriage statute to expressly authorize the issuance of marriage licenses to two people of the same sex?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation that would establish a $15 per hour minimum wage in Tennessee?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation to allow the state to defend public K-12 schools that are sued because they designate the use of locker rooms and bathrooms on the basis of biological sex instead of the gender by which a student identifies?
Oppose
Do you support or oppose the proposition, advanced by a certain business coalition, that the bill described in question 5 is “discriminatory” and “would harm our economy and damage our state’s reputation”?
Support
Currently, a majority of the Justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court select the state’s Attorney General and Reporter. Would you support or oppose an amendment to the state Constitution that allows the Legislature to elect the Attorney General and Reporter in the same manner that it elects the Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer?
Oppose
Would you support or oppose an amendment to the state Constitution that allows the Governor to appoint the state’s Attorney General and Reporter subject to confirmation by the Legislature, as now happens with the appointment of the state’s Supreme Court Justices?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation, like Insure Tennessee proposed by Governor Haslam in 2015, that would expand Medicaid coverage in Tennessee beyond the Medicaid-eligible population?
Support
Do you support or oppose the decision by the state’s Department of Health to disregard the state’s current adoption laws and allow a child’s original birth certificate to show that the child has two mothers simply because one of the women is married to the child’s biological mother?
Support
Would you support or oppose a bill that would prohibit the state or local governmental entities from either giving preference to or discriminating against a business entity in awarding of grants or contracts based on whether the business has made sexual orientation or gender identity a protected status under its personnel policies, assuming that either of such statuses is not otherwise required by federal law?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation to award all of Tennessee’s Electors in a presidential election to the Party of the candidate who wins the national popular vote?
Support
Do you support or oppose legalizing horse racing tracks in Tennessee at which bets can be placed on races?
Support
There is a school of thought that the Constitution is a “living” document, meaning its various provisions are evolving and should be interpreted in the context of contemporary societal mores. Would you support or oppose a nominee to the Tennessee Supreme Court if there is credible evidence that the nominee believes the state or federal Constitution should be viewed or interpreted as a “living” document?
Support
Would you support or oppose legislation to ensure that an adoption agency with a sincerely held belief that marriage is only one man and one woman would not lose its state license to make adoption placements if it only placed children in homes into which the marriage was of one man and one woman?
Support
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Explain your view of state government’s role in relation to economic growth and/or job creation.
I believe the government should work to close the wealth gap and increase the minimum wage. I think we should continue to focus on equitable contracting practices that promote women and minority owned businesses. I support Tennessee working to eliminate the pay gap between men and women. We must continue to to increase workplace transparency and provide support working families.
What are your thoughts about a parent of a child in a low performing public school being provided a voucher equal to the amount of the state’s per-student expenditure that would be applied toward the child’s private school tuition?
I oppose reducing funding for public schools. We much maintain and increase funding to our public schools and improve their performance.
What is one of the most satisfying things you have ever done or accomplished and what made it so satisfying to you?
As a State Representative I am very proud of obtaining land-grant funding for Tennessee State University and helping to increase their ability to educate first-generation college students.
What personal qualities or experiences do you think will best serve you in your role as a state legislator?
My prior experience as a Metro Council woman for eight years and my ten years of service in the Tennessee General Assembly equip me to lead on day one in the Senate. I have the ability to work on both sides of the aisle and build consensus around important issues. For example we were able to gain bipartisan support for "Ban the Box" legislation and passed that through the Senate last year.
What bill that passed in the last General Assembly would you have voted against and why, or what bill that was not passed in the last General Assembly do you wish had passed and why?
The legislation that passed stating that there are no Sanctuary Cities in the State of TN is very disturbing.Law enforcement is also opposed to this bill. It has the potential to separate family and promote profiling. Local governments know what's best for their own municipalities and should not face financial penalties. I am very disappointed that bill granting scholarships to immigrant students did not pass. We need to invest in all of the young people that call Tennessee home. It is to our advantage both socially and economically as a State to educate all young people into become contributing members of our community.
