David Leighton Jones (Tenessee congressional candidate)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

David Leighton Jones

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Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Tullahoma High School

Personal

Birthplace

Tullahoma, Tenn.

Profession

Quality Engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

David Leighton Jones (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 4th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

David Leighton Jones was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He earned a high school diploma from Tullahoma High School. His career experience includes working as a quality engineer. Jones has been affiliated with the Libertarian Party of Tennessee.

Elections

2022

See also: Tennessee's 4th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott DesJarlais (R)	70.6	122,401
		Wayne Steele (D)	25.7	44,648
		Mike Winton (Independent)	1.6	2,834
		Clyde Benson (Independent)	1.0	1,806
	Submit photo	David Leighton Jones (Independent)	0.4	708
		Tharon Chandler (Independent)	0.3	585
	Submit photo	Joseph Magyer (Independent)	0.3	455

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 173,437
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

Wayne Steele defeated Arnold White in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wayne Steele	65.1	11,168
	Submit photo	Arnold White	34.9	5,994

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,162
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

Incumbent Scott DesJarlais advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott DesJarlais	100.0	60,699

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,699
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gerald Hood (R)
• Doug Meyer (R)
• Charles Dean Smith (R)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

David Leighton Jones completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jones' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in Coffee County, David Jones understands the people and culture of U.S. Congressional District 4, and the struggles they face with an ever-encroaching federal government. He has worked in quality engineering and auditing for twenty years, having vast experience using problem solving tools to address the root causes of issues and develop corrective actions. He has served the Libertarian Party of Tennessee in county, regional, and state leadership roles, and works towards the organizational success of the third largest political party in the country. He strives to work directly with the constituency of district 4 to provide value-added, liberty-focused solutions to issues long ignored by the current representation. David aims to uphold the protections of natural rights for all Tennesseans and to provide real world solutions to issues, all while keeping the federal government out of citizens’ lives and pocketbooks.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Eliminating Civil Asset Forfeiture: No one should have their property taken from them by the government without first being accused, tried, and found guilty of a crime by a jury of their peers.
• The War on Drugs: Prohibition has been tried repeatedly, has failed in the past, and today America’s War on Drugs has been a miserable embarrassment. Lives are ruined over minor offenses, while victims cause widespread overcrowding in our prisons.
• Federal Spending and Taxation: Since 1991, pork-barrel ear marked projects have totaled at least 111,702, costing $392.5 billion as of 2021, as estimated by the think tank Citizens Against Government Waste, which tracks annual spending. The mismanagement of taxpayer dollars must cease.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Individual Rights.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose including but not limited to: gun rights, medical freedom, and freedom of speech.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

People who get voted to serve in Washington often get so tied up in DC, that they forget what their neighbors at home are going through. It's important to not get wrapped up in the minutia of it all and forget why you trusted enough to get sent there in the first place.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't believe the founding fathers would have viewed that as a requirement. Any citizen with a good understanding of the constitution, economics, and foreign policy should have a seat at the table. All too often lawyers, millionaires, and the elite class fill seats to represent the majority of folks they would never be able to relate to in the slightest.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Inflation, debt, and the continuation of tragedies caused by terrible foreign policy, sanctions, and saber rattling.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Agriculture, Budget, Small Business, Joint Committee on Taxation.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I believe the smaller terms the better, however there are those who get elected and immediately turn around and start planning for their re-election, and that distracts them from properly representing their constituents.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Term limits would be an overall net positive. The founding fathers did not intend for politics to be a career. Over the past 100 years we've seen over and over again examples of those who view holding office as a retirement package. It is unfortunately doubtful that anyone in DC these days would willingly vote to limit their power.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Justin Amash, Thomas Massie, and Ron Paul

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

As a Libertarian running as an Independent, it will be my responsibility to work with both Republicans and Democrats on legislation that best achieves the goals of my political ideology. While working with the two old parties though, what I won't do is compromise on my principles of essential liberty of the individual.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The US is in a serious debt crisis. I would vote no on any measure that isn't desperately needed, especially ear marks and pork barrel spending.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. House Tennessee District 4

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Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)