Jennifer Foley

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Jennifer Foley
Image of Jennifer Foley

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Boston University, 1999

Graduate

Vanderbilt University, 2008

Ph.D

Vanderbilt University, 2017

Personal
Profession
Director of interpretation & translation services, Tennessee Language Center
Contact

Campaign website

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Personal LinkedIn

Jennifer Foley (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Tennessee House of Representatives to represent District 65. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Foley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jennifer Foley earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University in 1999, a master's degree from Vanderbilt University in 2008, and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 2017. Her professional experience includes working as the director of interpretation and translation services for the Tennessee Language Center in Nashville. She is affiliated with the Williamson County Democratic Party, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, and tnAchieves.[1]

Elections

2020

See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 65

Incumbent Sam Whitson defeated Jennifer Foley in the general election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 65 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sam Whitson
Sam Whitson (R)
 
68.1
 
26,616
Image of Jennifer Foley
Jennifer Foley (D) Candidate Connection
 
31.9
 
12,488

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 39,104
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 65

Jennifer Foley advanced from the Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 65 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jennifer Foley
Jennifer Foley Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,664

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,664
Candidate Connection = 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 Tennessee House of Representatives District 65

Incumbent Sam Whitson advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 65 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sam Whitson
Sam Whitson
 
100.0
 
6,873

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,873
Candidate Connection = 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.

Endorsements

To view Foley's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Jennifer Foley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Foley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a mom of three, hold a PhD in Anthropology, and I volunteer as a mentor to Tennessee Promise scholarship students, with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, and am co-Leader of my daughter's Daisy Girl Scout Troop. As an Anthropologist I have always learned from diverse experiences and voices and I believe that we are stronger when we include the perspectives of everyone in our community. I believe that our government and taxpayer dollars should benefit the people of Tennessee. I want my children to grow up in an inclusive and equitable state where every Tennessean can live a life of dignity in safe, healthy, and prosperous communities. I'm running for office for two main reasons, the first is to be an example to my children in what it means to stand up for what you believe in and to use your voice to help others. And I'm running because we need the voices of women and mothers in our state legislature to make sure that women and working families are also benefiting from the economic boom our state is experiencing.
  • Our public schools should be fully funded and teachers should earn the respect and salaries they deserve.
  • Tennessee should help working families get ahead, not just get by.
  • We need to invest in our rural Tennessee communities.
My legislative priorities are based on my experiences as a working mother trying to juggle a career and family, and the challenges in finding affordable, high quality childcare. Our state could be doing more to ensure women are able to participate in our workforce by raising the minimum wage, enacting equal pay legislation, workplace pregnancy protections, paid family and sick leave, expanding access to Universal Pre-K, and reducing the number of childcare deserts throughout our state. These policies would help all families get ahead, not just get by.

Two of my children are now enrolled in public schools and I am frustrated by the lack of funding our schools grapple with and how our teachers are not paid the salaries they deserve. I believe taxpayer money should stay in our public schools rather than being used as vouchers or ESAs to subsidize private school tuition. We need a better system of public school funding that allocates resources in a fair and equitable way.

I've also lived in a rural part of Tennessee where broadband internet access and medical care was not available. I understand how all of these issues are interconnected and impact the overall quality of life for the people of Tennessee. We need to invest in our rural communities so students and small businesses can thrive through expanded and affordable broadband internet access. We need to expand Medicaid so rural hospitals remain solvent and communities have access to life-saving medical care.
I am an empathetic listener and have strong research and analytical skills that would enable me to carefully consider the long-term ramifications of legislation. My background has also prepared me to study how other states and countries have addressed issues that Tennessee faces, and how to implement the strategies that work well, while avoiding the ones that fall short.
I think the core responsibilities of an elected official are to be responsible stewards public financial and natural resources, be transparent and open with constituents about why, when, and how decisions are made, and to support legislation that lifts up the entire constituency, not just a select few.
I held summer jobs throughout my teen years but my first professional job was as a Service Associate (aka Bank Teller) for the First National Bank of Boston. I started working for the bank part-time during my sophomore year of college. I worked for the bank throughout college, including spring and summer breaks, and arranged my class schedule so I could attend class three days a week and work 2 days a week and half a day on Saturdays. When I graduated from college I transitioned into a Sales & Service Associate role. Throughout my time in banking I learned to provide efficient and accurate service, solve problems, and stay calm during stressful situations - I endured two bank robberies and three bank mergers, after all.
March, March by The Chicks
I think it is beneficial for state legislators to have some previous experience in government or politics, but I don't think it's a requirement. I would prefer that state legislators have experience in service, either through the military or community volunteer involvement, so they understand the issues people grapple with at the local level. I personally have worked for the State of Tennessee in a state agency so I understand some of the budget appropriation issues our government faces. I have also volunteered for my county Democratic Party and have learned about local political issues in that capacity. I also volunteer as a mentor to Tennessee Promise Scholarship students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. I became a volunteer for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense because I was concerned about the rising rates of accidental shootings involving children and gun-related deaths overall in Tennessee. All of these experiences have helped me gain a better understanding of the issues facing our communities and the state of Tennessee.
I believe a neutral, third party should oversee redistricting so neither party gerrymander the districts.
I am very interested in serving on the Education, Health, and Finance, Ways, and Means committees.

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

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 17, 2020


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