Michele Reneau
Newcomer Michele Reneau pulled a major political upset in Thursday's election, defeating Republican establishment incumbent Patsy Hazlewood for House District 27.
The race was tight throughout the night with Rep. Hazlewood ahead at the start and Ms. Reneau, a mother of five, gaining ground and holding off for a narrow win.
Rep. Hazlewood had gained some late major endorsements (Marsha Blackburn and Bill Haslam) and heavy financing, while the Reneau campaign claimed she did not have a conservative voting record.
Hazlewood backers touted the fact of her seniority as chair of the influential House finance committee.
Kathy Lennon, former school board member, is running as a Democrat in House District 27.
General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh defeated attorney Kisha Cheeks in the contest to replace Judge Marie Williams in Circuit Court.
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem held off City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod for House District 27. She had defeated him earlier to gain her council seat.
Senator Todd Gardenhire handily defeated former Red Bank Commissioner Ed Lecompte in the District 10 Republican contest. Missy Crutchfield is running as a Democrat to try to regain the old seat held by her father, Ward Crutchfield. Ms. Crutchfield pulled in 5,123 votes while unopposed on the Democratic side.
With all 92 precincts reporting, it was:
State House District 27 Republican
Michele Reneau 4,079
Patsy Hazlewood 3,942
Circuit Court Judge Division III
Alex McVeagh (Republican) 20,726
Kisha L. Cheeks (Democratic) 15,252
House District 28 Democratic
Yusuf A. Hakeem 3,165
Demetrus Coonrod 1,832
State Senate District 10 Republican
Todd Gardenhire 5,297
Edward (Ed) LeCompte 1,074
This is from Michele Reneau's website:
Michele Reneau grew up in a working class family in South Carolina. As a child, she loved to learn, read and spend time outdoors. Her father served in the U.S. Army for 26 years where he met her mother in South Korea. Her mother worked as a seamstress in a rug factory. Her mother showed her the importance of knowing Jesus. That faith in God has been a cornerstone in her life ever since.
As a young adult, Michele’s boundless energy, determination, and work ethic helped her to become the first in her family to graduate from high school and college, all while avoiding debt. She became interested in politics and public administration because of her passion and appreciation for the values of our great country. She obtained a Political Science (B.A.) degree from The College of Charleston and a Masters in Public Administration at the University of South Carolina.
In addition to working her way through her undergraduate degree without debt, Michele also bought her first home at the age of 24. She obtained her real estate and broker’s license and quickly found success. As an energetic achiever and insightful advisor, she closed 50-60 properties a year, even during the 2008 real estate crisis. She received recognition for being in the top 1% of realtors in Charleston, SC.
In 2004, Michele met and married her husband, Chris. Chris served in the U.S. Navy for 10+ years. As the wife of a Navy Chief Petty Officer who served in two deployments during Operation Enduring Freedom, and daughter of a Retired Army Sergeant First Class who served two tours in the Vietnam War, Michele is extremely supportive of our nation’s military and their families. She has devoted time to numerous charitable organizations over the years; such as “Wreaths Across Chattanooga” as a continued demonstration for her support for our military.
After leaving the Navy in 2009, Chris and Michele accepted a job offer in Chattanooga, TN. Michele and Chris relocated to Signal Mountain where they are currently raising their five children. Being a loving Mom, like her Mother, Michele has instilled timeless values in her children; such as love for family, Country, the value of hard work, self-sufficiency, sacrifice, and love for God. She also is a believer in staying healthy through daily exercise, and eating healthy, local, nutritious food. She has been an advocate for fresh, local food.
In 2019, Patsy Hazlewood was slated to sponsor a bill that would threaten farmers’ income and consumers' access to high-density nutritious foods. Michele collaborated with grassroots advocates statewide to successfully avoid the repeal of the TN Herd Share Act. She later engaged in state-level initiatives and advocated for the Farm to Consumer Distribution Point bill with sponsorship from Senator Niceley (Strawberry Plains) and Rep Kevin Brooks (Cleveland). After lobbying and compromise, the bill passed nearly unanimously.
As the building block of society, Michele Reneau believes in strong, healthy families and will work to strengthen them. She is passionate about protecting liberty for future generations. Her commitment is to God, to the People of Tennessee District 27, and to the TN and US Constitutions.
District 27 spans from Lookout Mountain, Lookout Valley, Red Bank, Signal Mountain, Hixson, Soddy Daisy, Mowbray Mountain, Flat Top Mountain to Bakewell.