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Doyle Clark
Doyle Clark (independent) ran in a special election to the Tennessee State Senate to represent District 22. Clark lost in the special general election on April 23, 2019.
Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: Tennessee state legislative special elections, 2019
General election
Special general election for Tennessee State Senate District 22
Bill Powers defeated Juanita Charles, Doyle Clark, and David Cutting in the special general election for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on April 23, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bill Powers (R) | 53.6 | 6,461 |
 | Juanita Charles (D) | 44.4 | 5,352 | |
 | Doyle Clark (Independent)  | 1.3 | 155 | |
 | David Cutting (Independent) | 0.7 | 84 | |
| Total votes: 12,052 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22
Juanita Charles advanced from the special Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on March 7, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Juanita Charles | 100.0 | 1,125 |
| Total votes: 1,125 | |||
| = 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
Special Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22
Bill Powers defeated Jeff Burkhart, Betty Burchett, and Jason Knight in the special Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 22 on March 7, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Powers | 37.3 | 2,782 |
 | Jeff Burkhart | 33.7 | 2,513 | |
 | Betty Burchett | 17.4 | 1,297 | |
 | Jason Knight | 11.6 | 868 | |
| Total votes: 7,460 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Doyle Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clark's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Supporting public educators and opposing school vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs), working with local facilities and DC to push for greater care for our veterans, and support small businesses and agriculture by giving them the luxurious tax benefits that large corporations usually enjoy.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Education. My wife and members of my family are (or have been) public educators.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
President Kennedy. He urged people to not seek an answer from a major political party, but instead to find the right answer.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I particularly enjoy President Washington's farewell address.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Being a good listener. Too many people look for a leader when they elect a representative, but instead should be seeking a listener that can voice their concerns among the assembly.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
People are very comfortable explaining their problems to me. Which is why I worked in customer service for so long (10 years). A big part of this is sincerely listening to people and not just waiting for your turn to speak.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To be a voice of the people and vote for their best interests.
What legacy would you like to leave?
People above party, every single time.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Subway food service. I held this for over a year while attending Tennessee Technology Center (trade school)
What happened on your most awkward date?
I realized that there was no compatibility and there wouldn't be, so we parted ways. This was actually our 2nd date, because the first had just been a movie, whereas this was a dinner date.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
New Years Eve. My family gets together and plays board games and eat snack foods until midnight.
What is your favorite book? Why?
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien because it is a complete, but immersive, adventure.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Sherlock Holmes because he has a dedication to detail and solving the greater mystery, but a relaxed attitude and confidence that are practically inexplicable.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My library. It's a wealth of knowledge that cannot be replaced by modern technology.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Super Cool by Beck
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Being away from my home place in Houston County.
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
The size in districts between the Senate and House should determine the attitude taken by the individual elected, each serving to represent their constituents to the best of their abilities.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Absolutely not. It could be said that less "political" experience would be a preference.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Fixing our public schools.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
There should be an amenable relationship between them, but the State Legislators should not be a group of "yes men" for the Governor.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes, if it can serve the best good for both of their respective districts they should seek to work together.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
Independent Commission.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Education and 'Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources'
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Not available to me as an independent.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Not particularly. I'd like to just be myself and do the best job I can for the people.
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Absolutely not.
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I spoke with a very frustrated restaurateur, a retired Army Veteran, who told me how tired he was of seeing mega corporations and expansive factories move in to the town and get tax cuts and easy funding while his business is finally turning a profit after more than five years. He felt his business was being taxed to death while companies that have easy access to capital are allowed to set up shop without paying a cent in taxes for at least five years.
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
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
