Pete Drew

Pete Drew
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 15th district
In office January 11, 1983 – January 10, 1989
Preceded by	Sharon Bell
Succeeded by	Joe E. Armstrong
Personal details
Born	(1938-10-14) October 14, 1938
Party	Republican (1985–2006, 2022–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (1982–1985, 2008–2014) Independent (2006–2008, 2014–2022)
Spouse	Joyce
Children	12
Occupation	Politician consultant construction site manager
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1958–1961
Rank	Petty officer first class

Charles E. "Pete" Drew (born October 14, 1938) is an American politician and perennial candidate who served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989, representing the 15th district. Though elected as a Democrat, he swapped parties during his tenure to become a Republican.

Since leaving the Tennessee House, he has run for several other offices, including as a Democrat, Republican, and independent.

Early life and career

Charles E. "Pete" Drew was born on October 14, 1938 to parents Herman and Katie (née Hemphill) Drew. He graduated from Austin High School, where he was a member of the All-State basketball team.

He served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1961, where he held the rank of petty officer first class. He then attended radio broadcast school and Cooper's Business School, where he studied auto body repair.

Drew held several positions over his career. At the time of his election to the Tennessee House of Representatives, he was a Plexiglas processor, before entering real estate and consultancy. He later worked as a construction site manager.

He served on the Knox County Commission between 1976 and 1982.

Tennessee House of Representatives

Elections

Drew was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1982, flipping the seat blue after incumbent Republican Sharon Bell retired to successfully run for judge of the Knox County General Sessions Court.

In 1985, Drew swapped parties and became a Republican. He won his 1986 re-election campaign, making him one of only five Black Republicans elected to any state legislature in the country.

In 1988, Drew was defeated by Democratic challenger Joe Armstrong in his bid for re-election to a fourth term.

Tenure

In the 1984 and 1985 legislative sessions, Drew introduced "The Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution-Science Act," describing the measure as an effort to provide "teaching that puts God back in the classroom." The bill's 1985 version was indefinitely deferred by the House Education Committee after a 15-4 vote, with fellow Democrat Stephen Cobb calling it a "misuse of the power of the state."

In 1987, he became president of the Tennessee State Black Caucus.

Subsequent elections

Drew attempted to return to the District 15 seat in 2006 and 2014. Both times, he ran as an independent, leading to rematches against Armstrong. Though no Republican ran during either cycle, Drew was handily defeated both times.

Drew announced his last challenge to Armstrong in the 2016 election. Since the previous cycle, Armstrong had fallen under investigation for federal tax evasion charges. Drew won notable support, including the endorsement of the Tennessee Right to Life PAC. However, after being found guilty, Armstrong was disqualified from the ballot and replaced by Democrat Rick Staples. After this change, Drew acknowledged that he was unlikely to win the election — since his time in office, the area had become heavily Democratic. When reflecting on his status as a perennial candidate, Drew expressed that he viewed the label positively, saying, "When you don't provide opposition, you say, ′I'm in lockstep with political leaders.′" Though Drew won a significantly higher percentage of the votes than in his previous two attempts, Staples still defeated him.

Drew ran and lost again for the District 15 seat against Sam McKenzie in 2022. Drew has also run multiple times to return to the Knox County Commission, including a 2008 attempt as a Democrat.

Personal life

Drew is married to his wife Joyce, and he has 12 children. They attend Honey Rock Victorious Church in Knoxville. He has served as a director for the Project Respect Youth Program, a youth abstinence initiative.