Kyler Gilkey
Kyler Gilkey (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Tennessee House of Representatives to represent District 84. Gilkey declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 6, 2026.[source]
Gilkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kyler Gilkey earned a high school diploma from The Soulsville Charter School. Gilkey's career experience includes working as a policy advisor.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on August 6, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 84
Incumbent Joe Towns Jr. (D) and Kyler Gilkey (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 84 on August 6, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Joe Towns Jr. | |
 | Kyler Gilkey  | |
| ||||
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kyler Gilkey completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gilkey's responses.
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- Kyler's first key message is one of Economic Development and Workforce Readiness. His plan is to help build a thriving local economy and create opportunities for District 84 residents. "We have to expand access to job training and apprenticeship programs, especially in high-demand industries like logistics, healthcare, and technology, advocate for state investment in small business grants and minority-owned business support programs, specifically in the Hickory Ridge area and push for increased investment in the Memphis airport and transportation infrastructure to boost trade and job creation."
- Kyler's second key message is Public safety and creating safer neighborhoods while addressing systemic challenges in the justice system. "We must work to increase funding for community policing initiatives and violence prevention programs, advocate for justice reforms, including alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses and increased support for reentry programs and enhance resources for community policing, with a focus on protecting vulnerable communities and at risk youth."
- Kyler's third key message is creating a state that has affordable and accessible healthcare. "Healthcare is under attack on all sides. I will fight to improve and restore healthcare availability and affordability for Memphis residents. We have to search for ways to expand Medicaid in Tennessee to cover more low-income families and individuals, address healthcare deserts by incentivizing clinics and providers to serve underserved neighborhoods, and focus on maternal and mental health care, particularly for communities of color."
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
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 27, 2026
