Kevin Jenkins (Tennessee)

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

Kevin Jenkins

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Dakota State University, 2023

Personal

Profession

Politician

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Kevin Jenkins (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Kevin Jenkins lived in England as a child as the youngest of three children before moving to South Dakota. Jenkins participated in Boys State, a nationwide political education program, in South Dakota in 2016. Jenkins graduated with a degree in digital arts and graphic design from Dakota State University in 2023. His career experience includes working as a graphic designer with Healthpoint Medical.

Elections

2024

See also: Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2024

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Democratic primary)

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Incumbent Diana Harshbarger defeated Kevin Jenkins, Richard Baker, and Levi Brake in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger (R)	78.1	257,825
		Kevin Jenkins (D)	19.4	64,021
	Submit photo	Richard Baker (Independent)	1.7	5,714
		Levi Brake (Independent)	0.8	2,639

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 330,199
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Wisdom Zerit Teklay (Wisdom People Party)
• Marissa King (Independent)
• Joshua Ray Ashburn (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Kevin Jenkins defeated Bennett Lapides in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Jenkins	67.8	5,179
		Bennett Lapides	32.2	2,460

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,639
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Zachary Stamper (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Incumbent Diana Harshbarger advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 1, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger	100.0	52,190

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,190
= 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jenkins in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kevin Jenkins did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Jenkins’s campaign website stated the following:

“	I believe it is time for the house to bring in the new generation of leaders for the free world, and help the people of this country and the world. Civil Rights We all have rights in this country. From women to LGBTQ, and even immigrants. As Americans we need to support everyone here with affordable healthcare, rights to our own bodies, ending discrimination in job fields, and doing better about immigration to this country. Kevin plans to support everyone from new migrants, to the poor and middle class. We all need to work together to make life better for us all, not more stressful than it needs to be. Climate and Environment Clean air, water, and a clean environment are all rights we have and should enjoy. Fighting for those rights however, shouldn't mean taking jobs away from hard working Americans. When elected, Kevin will support environmentally friendly and self sufficient policies such as increased solar, aquatic, and nuclear energy around the United States to not only lessen our reliance on oil and therefore other countries, but also create jobs for everyone at home to enjoy. We should fund our National Parks to support our economy, support wildlife, and promote tourism to and within our country. It's not too late to keep our country healthy, so our children can live full, enjoyable lives while still being able to enjoy the wonders the United States has to offer. Education All of our children should have the ability to go to school without fear of danger, so they can properly learn, grow and enhance their skills, and have not have to live in crushing debt if they choose to further their education after high school. In congress, Kevin will fight for lower income areas to have the same access to materials and resources as higher income areas of the country have to ensure all children have an equal shot in life. I will fight to limit the cost of higher education across the country, and reduce debt nationwide, while also fighting to make schools a safer environment to ensure we don't have to witness more and more tragedies across our great nation. Healthcare Americans everywhere are struggling to get proper healthcare because it is so unaffordable to many who don't have the funds for emergencies. This shouldn't be a burden the people have to face. Kevin will support the Affordable Care Act and work on policies that would require companies to lower prescription drug prices for all, and work to remove systemic biases that have led to health inequities, making Americans have faith in the healthcare system again. Immigration As we all know, our current immigration system is broken We cannot ignore these problems, and must work to stop them sooner or later. If elected, Kevin will ensure the borders are secure and safe. Confiscating drugs and weapons that try to enter our country is a must to protect everyone who calls America home. Increased funding for border security in times like this is crucial to background check all those coming into our country. As we are still the melting pot of the world, we should not close the boarders completely to restrict access to our beautiful country, but we should instead work to increase citizenship of those who are beneficial and support our country. Showing humanity to those who seek to better our country and not destroy it will only lead us to a better place in the end. Jobs for Many Many Americans are struggling to pay for necessities such as gas, groceries, rent, and other rising cost. The best way to counteract this crisis and ensure it doesn't happen again is to increase efficiency of our supply chains. Bringing manufacturing back to America will not only put money back in our pockets, but keep our most important supply chains within our own control, unable to be interfered with by outside forces. Kevin will aid and assist in acts like the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.	”
—Kevin Jenkins's campaign website (2024)

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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Kevin Jenkins campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Tennessee District 1	Lost general	$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

2024 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Website

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Personal

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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)