Candidate Directory

To view the Candidate Directory for the Tennessee District 32 Special Election, click here.

John "Big John" Smith

House District54

Candidate Headshot
Incumbent or New

New

Party Affiliation

Independent

City

Nashville

Candidate Email Address

bigjohn@bigjohnsmith.com

Campaign Website URL

bigjohnsmithfortn.com


SURVEY QUESTIONS


QUESTION 1:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother?

Support

QUESTION 2:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 3:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 4:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would establish a $15 per hour minimum wage in Tennessee?

Oppose

QUESTION 5:
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?

Support

QUESTION 6:
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”?

Oppose

QUESTION 7:
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?

Support

QUESTION 8:
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

QUESTION 9:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 10:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 11:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 12:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 13:
Do you support or oppose legalizing horse racing tracks in Tennessee at which bets can be placed on races?

Undecided

QUESTION 14:
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?

Oppose

QUESTION 15:
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


ESSAY QUESTION 1:
Explain your view of state government’s role in relation to economic growth and/or job creation.

Government should get out of the way in job creation. The private sector under our capitalistic systeem should create jobs. If the private sector is not excessfully regulated and taxed by government, economic growth will rise.

ESSAY QUESTION 2:
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?

Parents should have the choice where their child goes to school. They should be able to enroll their kids where it is safe and condusive to learning.

ESSAY QUESTION 3:
What is one of the most satisfying things you have ever done or accomplished and what made it so satisfying to you?

I have been in law enforcement for almost 30 years. It has been my pleasure to serve the public. To listen to citizens concerns, sometimes help them and talk to our youth.

ESSAY QUESTION 4:
What personal qualities or experiences do you think will best serve you in your role as a state legislator?

For years I have been blessed to serve the public in law enforcement. Being on the level of the street, you can feel the pulse of the people, listen to their concerns. This exeperience would remind me as a legislator that, citizens concerns must allways be at the forefront and do all we can to resolve them, because we are their servants.

ESSAY QUESTION 5:
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?

Chose not to answer