Tennessee House of Representatives 97th district

Tennessee's 97th State
House of Representatives
district
Map of the district
Map of Tennessee House districts with the 97th District shaded
Representative
  John Gillespie
R–Memphis
Demographics64% White
15% Black
14% Hispanic
4% Asian
1% Other
3% Multiracial
Population (2024)71,684

Tennessee House of Representatives 97th district is one of the 99 legislative districts in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The district lies in the middle of Shelby County, Tennessee, including parts of eastern Memphis and unincorporated communities nearby.[1][2] The district is considered highly competitive in elections.[3][4] It has been represented by John Gillespie since 2021.[5]

Demographics

The Tennessee Comptroller estimates the population as of 2024 at 71,684.[6]

  • 64.1% of the district is White
  • 14.5% of the district is Black
  • 14.2% of the district is Hispanic
  • 3.5% of the district is Asian
  • 2.7% of the district is Multiracial
  • 0.7% of the district is another race

Detailed demographic information is also available at Census Reporter.[7]

List of Representatives

Representative Party Years of Service General Assemblys Hometown
John Gillespie Republican January 12, 2021 – present 112th-114th Memphis [5]
Jim Coley 2007-2021 105th-111th Memphis [8]
Tre Hargett 1997–2007 100th-104th Memphis [9]
Tim Joyce 1991-1997 97th-99th Memphis [10]
Chris Turner Democratic 1977–1990 90th-96th Memphis [11]
Edward J. Bousson Jr. Republican 1973–1976 88th-89th Memphis [12]

Elections

2024

2024 Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 general election[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Gillespie (incumbent) 16,368 51.64%
Democratic Jesse Huseth 15,292 48.24%
Write-in 39 0.12%
Total votes 31,699 100.00%
Republican hold

2022

2022 Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 general election[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Gillespie (incumbent) 12,083 56.72%
Democratic Toniko Harris 9,219 43.28%
Total votes 21,302 100.00%
Republican hold

2020

2020 Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 General Election[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Gillespie 14,712 50.80%
Democratic Gabby Salinas 14,246 49.20%
Total votes 28,958 100.00%
Republican hold

2018

2018 Tennessee House of Representatives District 97 General Election[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Coley 12,386 54.93%
Democratic Allan Creasy 10,163 45.07%
Total votes 22,549 100.00%
Republican hold

References

  1. ↑ "Tennessee House of Representatives District 97". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Census profile: State House District 97, TN". Census Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Candidates in competitive District 97 House race deadlocked in TV spending • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ Friedman, Adam (April 8, 2024). "Visual analysis: The Tennessee House races potentially in play for either party in 2024 • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Representative John Gillespie". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Community Profile House District 97". comptroller.tn.gov. Tennessee Comptroller. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Census profile: State House District 97, TN". Census Reporter. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Representative Jim Coley". capitol.tn.gov. Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  9. ↑ "House Representative Tre Hargett". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  10. ↑ "House Representative Tim Joyce". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  11. ↑ "House Representative Chris Turner". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  12. ↑ "House Representative Edward Bousson Jr". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Election Results". app.enhancedvoting.com. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2024 Tennessee Election Results" (PDF). sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com. TN Secretary of State. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  15. ↑ "2022 Tennessee Election Results" (PDF). sos-prod.tnsosgovefiles.com. TN Secretary of State. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  16. ↑ "2020 Tennessee Election Results" (PDF). sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com. TN Secretary of State. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  17. ↑ "2018 Tennessee Election Results" (PDF). sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com. TN Secretary of State. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
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