John Gillespie
Tennessee State Representative, District 97 since 2020. Lost re-election in 2026; leaves office in January 2027.
- In office
- 6 yrs
- Since 2020
- Bills became law
- 2
- 24 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
- Votes missed
- 0.2%
- Chamber median 0.2%
- With party
- 95%
- On votes splitting the parties
- Last margin
- −13.9
- Lost 2026
Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:52 PM ET
Committees
As of 2026-10.
- Finance, Ways and Means · vice chair
- Health
- Pensions
Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Legislation
Criminal Offenses · Became law May 2026
General Assembly · Failed in the House May 2026
Sexual Offenses · Failed in the House Apr 2026
Criminal Offenses · Failed in the House Apr 2026
Public Defenders · Failed in the House Apr 2026
Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET
Voting record
Where Gillespie sits in the Tennessee House of Representatives
Gillespie is closer to the center than 82% of the chamber's Republicans.
Closest: Chris Hurt, Michael Hale, Lowell Russell
Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 5:02 PM ET
With Gillespie’s party
- Votes with the chamber's Republicans95%
Black tick: the average of Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships
Key votes
Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Gillespie’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Republicans.
| Date | Bill | Gillespie | Rep. majority | Dem. majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | SB 2085: Victims' Rights - As enacted, authorizes a court clerk to increase the victims assistance… | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 77–16 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | SJR 1205: Memorials, Public Service - Sheriff Tom Spangler - | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 79–10 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | SJR 1182: Memorials, Public Service - Glenn Jacobs, Mayor of Knox County - | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 76–10 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | SB 1585: Education - As enacted, revises the assessment testing requirements for students who… | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 54–39 |
| Apr 22, 2026 | SB 714: Education - As enacted, requires an educational oversight board to be created for an LEA… | No | No | Yes | Failed 13–72 |
Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls
Career
Offices held, and every time Gillespie was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.
Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Elections
Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.
| Year | Race | Result | Margin | Seat | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tennessee House District 97 | Lost | D+13.9 | D+7.0 | −6.9 |
| 2024 | Tennessee House of Representatives, District 97 | Won | R+3.4 | — | — |
| 2022 | Tennessee House of Representatives, District 97 | Won | R+13.4 | — | — |
| 2020 | Tennessee House of Representatives, District 97 | Won | R+1.6 | — | — |
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: civicAPI (unofficial)Updated Nov 8, 2026, 7:01 PM ET
Seats Gillespie has held
- Tennessee House of Representatives, District 97 · since 2020
Source: 99chambers results archive
Who Gillespie has run against
- Jesse Huseth (D) · 2026 general, lost
- Jesse Huseth (D) · 2024 election, won
- Toniko S. Harris (D) · 2022 election, won
- Gabby Salinas (D) · 2020 election, won
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: civicAPI (unofficial)
How we know Gillespie
One person, matched across every source we use.
- Open States ocd-person/927edca0-8b67-40c6-b786-4cbfac5b344f
- Wikidata Q105560269
Source: Identity links: Wikidata, congress-legislators, Open States, FECUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:52 PM ET