Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Ruby Powell-Dennis

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Ruby Powell-Dennis
Image of Ruby Powell-Dennis
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Florida, 2003

Graduate

University of Memphis, 2016

Personal
Birthplace
Bogalusa, La.
Religion
Church of Christ
Profession
Executive Director
Contact

Ruby Powell-Dennis (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Tennessee State Senate to represent District 31. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Powell-Dennis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ruby Powell-Dennis was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 2003, a graduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2008, and a graduate degree from the University of Memphis in 2016. Her career experience includes working as an executive director.[1]

Elections

2022

See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Tennessee State Senate District 31

Brent Taylor defeated Ruby Powell-Dennis in the general election for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brent Taylor
Brent Taylor (R)
 
66.3
 
45,289
Image of Ruby Powell-Dennis
Ruby Powell-Dennis (D) Candidate Connection
 
33.7
 
23,041

Total votes: 68,330
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31

Ruby Powell-Dennis advanced from the Democratic primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ruby Powell-Dennis
Ruby Powell-Dennis Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
12,207

Total votes: 12,207
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 State Senate District 31

Brent Taylor advanced from the Republican primary for Tennessee State Senate District 31 on August 4, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brent Taylor
Brent Taylor
 
100.0
 
24,854

Total votes: 24,854
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 97

John Gillespie defeated Gabby Salinas in the general election for Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Gillespie
John Gillespie (R) Candidate Connection
 
50.8
 
14,712
Image of Gabby Salinas
Gabby Salinas (D)
 
49.2
 
14,246

Total votes: 28,958
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 97

Gabby Salinas defeated Ruby Powell-Dennis, Allan Creasy, and Clifford Stockton III in the Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Gabby Salinas
Gabby Salinas
 
51.3
 
2,460
Image of Ruby Powell-Dennis
Ruby Powell-Dennis Candidate Connection
 
25.9
 
1,241
Image of Allan Creasy
Allan Creasy Candidate Connection
 
13.9
 
665
Image of Clifford Stockton III
Clifford Stockton III Candidate Connection
 
9.0
 
432

Total votes: 4,798
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 97

John Gillespie defeated Brandon Weise in the Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 on August 6, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Gillespie
John Gillespie Candidate Connection
 
78.2
 
3,628
Brandon Weise
 
21.8
 
1,009

Total votes: 4,637
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.

Campaign themes

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released Aug 4, 2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Ruby Powell-Dennis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Powell-Dennis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Ruby is also a former elementary school administrator and community servant who has lived in Memphis for over a decade. Ruby was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, and growing up in a rural community gave Ruby a strong work ethic and a commitment to her community.

Ruby has worked with students, teachers, families, and community members. It was Ruby’s time as an elementary school administrator that shaped her desire to work in electoral politics fighting back against policy that makes it virtually impossible to meet the needs of children and everyday, hardworking people.

Ruby also serves the Memphis community in elected leadership within the Junior League of Memphis, Chairman of the Board at Leadership Preparatory Charter School, and The Dixon Gallery and Gardens Membership Advisory Board.

Ruby is an alumna of The University of Florida, Southeastern Louisiana University, and The University of Memphis - Fogleman College of Business. Ruby is married to James and has children under 6.
  • Education reform and fully-funding our schools
  • Prioritizing public safety through crime prevention measures and Commonsense gun safety
  • Improving infrastructure across the district:
Ruby’s Priorities:

•Education reform and fully-funding our schools
•Prioritizing public safety through crime prevention measures
•Commonsense gun safety
•Ensuring access to affordable healthcare
•Investing in small businesses and economic recovery
•Improving infrastructure across the district
•Protecting reproductive healthcare and the right to choose

•Fighting Right to Work Laws

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.

2020

Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Ruby Powell-Dennis is currently running for TN State Representative - District 97. Ruby serves as a Community Outreach Director.

Ruby served in a variety of leadership roles the past decade in education reform working with The Achievement School District, Teach for America, The New Teacher Project, and as a member of Education Pioneers' Emerging Human Capital Leaders Initiative (EHCLI).

It was Ruby's time as an elementary school administrator that shaped her desire to work in electoral politics fighting for educational equity.

Ruby is a proud alumna of The University of Florida where she studied Advertising, Political Science and minored in Secondary Education. Ruby completed her Master of Arts in Organizational Communication at Southeastern Louisiana University and her Master's in Business Administration at The University of Memphis. Ruby is married and has two beautiful children.

  • A weighted funding model to fund schools
  • Affordable healthcare
  • Increased investments in small businesses. 
I have seen first hand how hard educators are working in schools (and now virtually) to deliver instruction to students, but do not have the much-needed resources to help all children in their classroom learning. The workforce in education is overwhelmingly populated by women. Increasing funding ensures that those women, and all educators, can get paid the professional salary they deserve. 

I care about healthcare because both of my parents, now deceased, did not have access to affordable healthcare. I did not have access to healthcare for many years as a young professional. Our state has the ability to expand Medicaid and serve an estimated 113,000 residents in the coverage gap (those ineligible for Medicaid and also ineligible for premium subsidies in the exchange).

 

I care about small businesses because they are the driving force of our economic engine. We need to increase focus on locally owned small businesses and minority/women businesses in Shelby County. Now as we look to life after Covid-19, we have an opportunity to make investments in small businesses that will be even more vital now to the economic recovery efforts of our state and country.
I admire Michelle Obama. I feel as though she was one of the first women that I feel reminds me wholeheartedly of the women I love and respect. Her leadership style is one of grace, poise and intelligence. When I think about how her leadership has impacted women I know, it was on full display when she came to Nashville as a stop on her book tour "Becoming". It was Mother's Day 2019 and her words were encouraging, funny and enlightening.

The other person I look up to is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. As the first elected female head of state in Africa, her work on women's rights won her the 2011 Noble Peace Prize. She went on to serve for 12 years as president and her legacy still endures. I admire the strength she has not only to lead her people, but to protect those who are vulnerable.

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


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 6, 2022


Current members of the Tennessee State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Randy McNally
Minority Leader:Raumesh Akbari
Senators
District 1
J. Lowe (R)
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Bo Watson (R)
District 12
Ken Yager (R)
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
Mark Pody (R)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
Sara Kyle (D)
District 31
District 32
Paul Rose (R)
District 33
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (6)