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Thelma Harper
Thelma Harper is a former Democratic member of the Tennessee State Senate, representing District 19 from 1989 to 2018. Harper did not file to run for re-election in 2018. Harper passed away on April 22, 2021.[1]
Biography
Harper graduated with her bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University. At the time of her service in the state Senate, she worked as a retail grocer.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Finance, Ways and Means |
| • Government Operations |
| • Government Operations |
| • Pensions and Insurance |
| • TACIR |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Harper served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Finance, Ways and Means |
| • State & Local Government |
| • Ethics |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Harper served on the following committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Government Operations |
| • State & Local Government |
| • Transportation and Safety |
| • Government Operations |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Harper served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Government Operations |
| • State & Local Government |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Harper served on these committees:
| Tennessee committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Government Operations, Vice chair |
| • State & Local Government |
| • Veterans 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
2018
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2018
Thelma Harper did not file to run for re-election.
2014
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for 18 seats in the Tennessee State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 7, 2014. A general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 3, 2014. Incumbent Thelma Harper defeated Brandon Puttbrese in the Democratic primary. Sterlina Inez Brady was unopposed in the Republican primary. George Thomas ran as an independent candidate. Harper defeated Brady and Thomas in the general election.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Thelma M. Harper Incumbent |
75.3% | 23,235 | |
| Republican | Sterlina Inez Brady | 15.2% | 4,701 | |
| Independent | George Thomas | 9.4% | 2,899 | |
| Independent | Rueben (Dock) Dockery (write-in) | 0.1% | 38 | |
| Total Votes | 30,873 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Thelma Harper Incumbent |
86.2% | 10,520 |
| Brandon Puttbrese | 13.8% | 1,685 |
| Total Votes | 12,205 | |
2010
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2010
Harper was re-elected to the 19th District seat in 2010. She also faced no opposition in the general election on November 2, 2010. She was unopposed in August 5 primary.[4][5]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 19, General Election 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Thelma Harper (D)
|
24,569 | |||
| Aaron Lee Childress "Skeet" (write-in) | 6 | |||
2006
On Nov. 7, 2006, Harper won re-election to the 19th District Seat in the Tennessee State Senate.[6]
Harper raised $65,619 for her campaign.[7]
| Tennessee State Senate, District 19 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Thelma Harper (D)
|
31,207 | 100% | ||
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.
2018
In 2018, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, second session, was in session January 9 to April 27.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
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.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 12 through April 22
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 13 through April 22.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 108th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 14 to April 18.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 108th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 8 to April 19.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 107th Tennessee General Assembly, second year, was in session from January 10 through May 1.
|
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 107th Tennessee General Assembly, first year, was in session from January 11 to May 21.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
At the time of her service in the state Senate, Thelma and her husband, Paul, had two children. They resided in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Thelma + Harper + Tennessee + Senate"
See also
- Tennessee State Legislature
- Tennessee State Senate
- Tennessee State Senate Committees
- Tennessee Joint Committees
- Tennessee state legislative districts
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions via Follow the Money
- Voting record from Tennessee Votes.org
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Thelma Harper, ‘Transformative’ Tennessee Legislator, Dies at 80," April 23, 2021
- ↑ 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, "2010 Primary Election Official Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2010 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Secretary of State, "2006 Tennessee General election results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "General Election Results," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee Bar Association, "Nashville Chamber Releases 2015 Legislative Scorecard," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Tennessee Bar Association, "Nashville Chamber Releases 2015 Legislative Scorecard," accessed November 10, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by NA |
Tennessee Senate District 19 1989-2018 |
Succeeded by Brenda Gilmore (D) |
