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Mark Pody
2018 - Present
2026
7
Mark Pody (Republican Party) is a member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 17. He assumed office on January 9, 2018. His current term ends on November 3, 2026.
Pody (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Tennessee State Senate to represent District 17. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Biography
Pody owned a financial planning and insurance firm.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Pody was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Education Committee
- State & Local Government Committee, 2ndd Vice Chair
- Transportation and Safety Committee, Vice Chair
2021-2022
Pody was assigned to the following committees:
- Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, 2nd vice chair
- Senate Government Operations Committee
2019-2020
Pody was assigned to the following committees:
- Government Operations Committee
- Senate Government Operations Committee
- Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, 2nd Vice-Chair
- Transportation and Safety Committee, 1st Vice-Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Consumer and Human Resources, Vice chair |
| • Insurance and Banking |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Pody served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Consumer and Human Resources, Vice chair |
| • Insurance and Banking |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Pody served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Business and Utilities |
| • Consumer and Human Resources, Vice chair |
| • Fiscal Review |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Pody served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce |
| • Consumer & Employee Affairs |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Incumbent Mark Pody and Butch Baker are running in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Mark Pody (R) | |
| Butch Baker (R) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Incumbent Mark Pody won election in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Pody (R) | 100.0 | 39,381 |
| Total votes: 39,381 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Incumbent Mark Pody advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on August 4, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Pody | 100.0 | 13,161 |
| Total votes: 13,161 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2018
See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Incumbent Mark Pody defeated Mary Alice Carfi in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Pody (R) | 70.4 | 53,364 |
 | Mary Alice Carfi (D) | 29.6 | 22,452 | |
| Total votes: 75,816 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Mary Alice Carfi advanced from the Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on August 2, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Alice Carfi | 100.0 | 10,460 |
| Total votes: 10,460 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17
Incumbent Mark Pody advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 17 on August 2, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Pody | 100.0 | 31,437 |
| Total votes: 31,437 | |||
| = 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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2017
A special election for the position of Tennessee State Senate District 17 was held on December 19, 2017. A primary election took place on November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 28, 2017.[1]
The seat was vacant following Mae Beavers' (R) resignation. Beavers resigned from the state Senate effective September 1, 2017, in order to run for governor full-time.[2]
Mary Alice Carfi ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Mark Pody was unopposed in the Republican primary.[3] Pody defeated Carfi in the special election with 51 percent of the vote.[4]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 17, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mark Pody |
51.3% | 5,995 | |
| Democratic | Mary Alice Carfi | 48.7% | 5,688 | |
| Total Votes | 11,683 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State | ||||
2016
Elections for the Tennessee House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 4, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 7, 2016.
Incumbent Mark Pody defeated Amelia Morrison Hipps in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 46 general election.[5][6]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 46 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark Pody Incumbent |
75.02% | 19,785 | |
| Democratic | Amelia Morrison Hipps | 24.98% | 6,589 | |
| Total Votes | 26,374 | |||
| Source: Tennessee Secretary of State | ||||
Amelia Morrison Hipps ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 46 Democratic primary.[7][8]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 46 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Amelia Morrison Hipps (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Mark Pody ran unopposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives District 46 Republican primary.[7][8]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 46 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Mark Pody Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for 99 seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014. Candace Reed was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Mark Pody was unopposed in the Republican primary. Pody defeated Reed in the general election.[9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark A. Pody Incumbent |
67.4% | 9,896 | |
| Democratic | Candace Reed | 32.6% | 4,777 | |
| Total Votes | 14,673 | |||
2012
Pody ran in the 2012 election for Tennessee House of Representatives, District 46. Pody ran unopposed in the August 2 primary election. He was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[11][12]
2010
Pody defeated Democrat Stratton Bone, Jr. in the general election on November 2, 2010. He was unopposed in the August 5 primary.[13][14]
| Tennessee House of Representatives, District 46 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Mark Pody (R)
|
9,270 | |||
| Stratton Bone (D) | 8,181 | |||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2022
Mark Pody did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Pody's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[15]
Jobs
- Excerpt: "I am very “pro small business.” Small businesses, not the government create jobs because the government cannot “create” jobs without using citizens’ tax dollars to do so."
Education
- Excerpt: "Parents are to be the primary educators in both academic and behavioral areas. As a culture, however, we have relinquished much of that child rearing responsibility to the public school system. If we’re to gain back a responsible society we need to start with responsible parents demonstrating to their children that education begins at home and not in the classroom."
Social entitlements
- Excerpt: "'Hand Up - Not Hand Out'. We need a plan where we are helping people find a way to work themselves back into the workforce."
Traditional values
- Excerpt: "I am pro life. I believe that life starts at the point of conception. Prayer in school should be a choice of the student. No child should be ridiculed or not allowed to pray. Marriage should be between 1 man and 1 woman."
Term limits
- Excerpt: "I believe in term limits. Our President and Our governors have term limits. We need the same for our senators and representatives."
Hotel tax
In February 2014, Pody supported a proposal to raise hotel taxes in Wilson County, Tennessee, which boasts one of the highest hotel taxes in the country. Pody has argued that if the city council or county commission of which he represents supported a measure, he would bring a proposal forward in the State House. “I said if something came to me from local people, and it had two-thirds majority in the city council or county commission that I would carry it down at the Capitol,” Pody said in an interview. “It’s my duty to support the local people and do whatever they want. I wasn’t trying to pass judgment as to whether I liked it or didn’t like it. I’m not jumping up and down with any tax increase. I even talked to the tea party people and told them I’m caught this way,” said Pody.[16]
Teachers' union bill
The Tennessee Tea Party emailed an alert about 20 House Republicans in March 2011 for refusing to take a strong public stand on a dominating issues: teachers’ union collective bargaining.
The Tennessee Tea Party's “action alert” encouraged Tennesseans sympathetic to their cause to pressure middle-of-the-road Republicans to get on board with conservative efforts to ban collective bargaining for public school teachers.
“I generally don’t take a firm stand on a bill until it’s completed, especially if there’s a great chance it’s going to be amended,” said Rep. Vince Dean.
Dean added that the legislation still has a long way to go before becoming law.
Rep. Scotty Campbell said he avoided taking a position because that’s what Gov. Bill Haslam had done.
“I was trying to follow his lead, and I think that was the commendable thing to do on this issue in particular,” said Campbell. “I didn’t campaign on it, it wasn’t part of my agenda and I think there are bigger matters facing us, like the economy, jobs, and the need to pass a balanced budget, which we of course have to do.”
Rep. Mark Pody said he would informally polling teachers in his district to see whether or not they favor union collective bargaining.
When the Tennessee Report asked whether he thinks unions are a positive influence in education, Pody said, “That’s exactly why I am going to the schools — to see what is best for the students.”[17]
Campaign finance summary
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Tennessee scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 25.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 10 to April 21.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 11 to April 28.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 5.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Tennessee State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 19.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly was in session January 8 through May 2.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, second session, was in session January 9 to April 27.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2017, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, first session, was in session January 10 to May 10.
|
Endorsements
Presidential preference
2012
Mark Pody endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 presidential election.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Pody and his wife, Barbara, have two children. They currently reside in Lebanon, Tennessee.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Tennessee State Senate District 17 |
Officeholder Tennessee State Senate District 17 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Key Dates for Tennessee Senate District 17 Special Primary and General Elections," accessed September 15, 2017
- ↑ News Channel 5, "Beavers Steps Down From State Senate," August 23, 2017
- ↑ The Wilson Post, "Pody, Carfi qualify for special election primary," September 28, 2017
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "December 19, 2017 Unofficial Election Results," December 19, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2016," accessed November 11, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2016 general election results - Tennessee House of Representatives," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tennessee Secretary of State, "Candidate Petitions Filed as of April 8, 2016 Noon Qualifying Deadline," accessed April 11, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tennessee Secretary of State, "August 4, 2016 Unofficial Election Results," accessed August 4, 2016
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "August 7, 2014 Election Results," accessed September 11, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "Petitions Filed for State Senate and State House of Representatives," accessed April 5, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2012 List of Candidates," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Department of State, "Election Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2010 Primary Election Official Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2010 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Mark Pody, "Issues," accessed July 8, 2016
- ↑ WatchDog.org, "Republican lawmaker pushes higher hotel tax in TN’s Wilson County," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ TNReport, "GOP Moderates Mull Collective Bargaining Compromise, Tea Party Pressure," March 22, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mae Beavers (R) |
Tennessee State Senate District 17 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Tennessee House of Representatives District 46 2010-2018 |
Succeeded by - |
