Joyce Neal

Joyce Neal

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Elections and appointments

Next election

August 6, 2026

Education

High school

Northwest High School

Bachelor's

Tennessee State University, 1990

Graduate

Tennessee State University, 2000

Other

Trevecca Nazarene University, 2021

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army Reserve

Years of service

1978 - 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Omaha, Neb.

Religion

Methodist

Profession

Adjunct professor

Contact

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Joyce Neal (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 6, 2026.^[source]

Neal completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Joyce Neal was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1978 to 2012. She earned a bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University in 1990, a graduate degree from Tennessee State University in 2000, and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2021. Her career experience includes working as an adjunct professor.

Neal has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Women Veterans of America-Nashville Music City Chapter 20
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
• Davidson County Democrat Executive Committee
• Davidson County Democratic Women
• Tennessee State Employees Association
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• Women In Numbers
• Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Community Advisory Board

Elections

2026

See also: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 6, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Kenneth Brown and Lowell Reynolds are running in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Kenneth Brown (Independent)
	Submit photo	Lowell Reynolds (Independent)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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 U.S. House Tennessee District 5

Mike Cortese, Chaz Molder, Joyce Neal, Diana Onyejiaka, and James Torino are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 6, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mike Cortese
		Chaz Molder
		Joyce Neal
		Diana Onyejiaka
		James Torino

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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 5

Incumbent Andy Ogles and Charlie Hatcher are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 6, 2026.

		Candidate
		Andy Ogles
	Submit photo	Charlie Hatcher

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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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Endorsements

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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joyce Neal completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Neal's 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.

I was born in Omaha, NE, and raised in Clarksville, TN. I am a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I am not a politician, but I am involved in my community through numerous local organizations. I value honesty, integrity, and transparency, and I can be reached at (615) 498-7925. I served in the Army/Army Reserve and retired after a 30-year career. I was also employed by the State of Tennessee, where I managed a statewide Medicaid program. I earned my bachelor's degree in Sociology and my master's degree in General Psychology from Tennessee State University, and my Doctorate in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University. My faith and belief are in God, as he is the Judge for all humankind.

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?

• Family. Family, in my opinion, is the most significant component of our communities. Even if our family members have made poor choices, we must always stand by them.
• Honesty. Even when my candor may not align with people' views or beliefs, I think they should hear the facts.
• Transparency. I think it's critical to keep my doors open to my constituents. It is my mission as an elected representative to keep the people who elected me informed about every development in Congress.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Affordable healthcare insurance. Pre-K through 12 public education. Restoration of voting rights and the Department of Education. Women's and children's healthcare. Maintaining veterans' benefits. Government assistance for Black and rural county farmers. Continuation of Social Security for retirees. Continued/increased funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Affordable housing. A ban on assault weapons. Palestine deserves to be recognized as a State. Legalize and tax marijuana use in America.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother was someone I admired. Her children's needs always came before her own. Her forgiveness of her children, despite their errors and poor choices, is an example I would like to emulate.

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

Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency. An elected official must always tell the truth to the people they represent. Never should an elected official compromise their morals for private benefit. Every time a bill is presented to the House, an elected official is required to inform the electorate of its advantages and disadvantages.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Anyone elected to this position must do so without anticipating favors or personal gain in return for their vote. It is the duty of whoever is elected to this position to regularly host town hall meetings and inform their constituents. The United States Constitution must be upheld by anyone elected to this position.

What legacy would you like to leave?

One thing that cannot be taken away from you is earned education.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I attended Saratoga Elementary in the fifth grade. Mr. Hugues was my teacher. He told us that President Kennedy had been assassinated when we got back from lunch. I was eleven years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In the tenth grade, I worked as a dessert maker at a restaurant. I spent roughly six months in that role.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Although I don't have a favorite book, I occasionally enjoy reading psychology journals.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superwoman, since she could fly and hear the cries of people who needed to be saved.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The capacity to build close friend relationships.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The capacity to develop an American budget.

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

No.

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

Restoring honesty, integrity, and bipartisanship in America.

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

Yes, but there needs to be a limit on the terms.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

The House of Representatives should serve six terms for a total of 12 years, and Senate members should serve two terms for a total of 12 years. Homesteading should not be allowed in Congress.

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

Jim Cooper (D-TN) was conservative in his use of public monies, and Barbara Jordan (D-TX) was a gifted orator.

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

Yes.

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?

I would support a budget that is balanced. I wouldn't support financing for any department if it weren't designated for a certain purpose.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Rumors or a personal grudge shouldn't be the basis for starting an investigation. Gaining favor with the President should not be the purpose of the House hearings.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Earning my Doctorate Degree in Education.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

To stop those who create artificial intelligence from defrauding or posing as people for their own benefit, federal legislation should be passed.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

Legislation that would permanently prohibit the purchase or possession of assault weapons that may quickly kill a large number of people is what I would enact.

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.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Joyce Neal campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Tennessee District 5	Candidacy Declared primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2026 Elections

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Government

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Candidate

U.S. House Tennessee District 5

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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)