CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – County Commissioner Jason D. Knight (R) has announced his bid for the District 22 Tennessee State Senate seat.
The 22nd District encompasses Montgomery, Stewart, and Houston Counties, and whomever is elected will be charged by the voters of each county with representing their interests in the Tennessee General Assembly through the end of 2020.
Mr. Knight is a longtime resident of the district, having remained here after leaving active military service in 2013. Jason and his wife Maribeth are the proud parents of seven children, and regularly attend Grace Church of the Nazarene. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from Austin Peay State University, an MBA in Information Systems from Grantham University, and is currently working on his dissertation toward a PhD. in Business and Information Systems Management from Northcentral University.
Knight says he “proudly stands for conservative Republican ideals as a Constitutionalist and solid supporter of the 2nd Amendment and pro-life legislation, as well as strong immigration and border control policies.”
As a combat veteran, he says he also places a high priority on military and veteran issues.
“I believe we need adequate veteran representation at the state level. When I say I will be the voice of the people of District 22, you know it to be true,” Knight said in a campaign release.
His priorities for District 22 include stronger state-local partnerships for infrastructure development, rural broadband access, and fairer assessment of “in-lieu-of” tax payments from the federal government in order to support growth in the parts of the district that are surrounded by federally managed land.
Mr. Knight says he also plans to fight for increased state allocations to the District 22 school districts in order to help alleviate problems with overcrowding, a shortage of School Resource Officers, and underpaid teachers and staff.
“During my tragic experience seeing our nation attacked in New York and watching the Twin Towers fall with my own eyes on 9/11, I saw a city come together. I saw strangers work together to help each other. I saw what ‘community’ really means. The attack on our nation made me realize that I needed to do something for my country, and my drive to serve has extended into this community,” Knight said.
Inspired and driven by the attacks to serve as an officer in the United States Army, Jason deployed on three combat tours and is still serving as a Captain in the United States Army Reserve.
Since leaving active duty military service, Jason has remained in public service. As a county commissioner he says he has sought to return a political voice to “people who are often overlooked by the regular political establishment.”
The 22nd District seat was recently vacated when Dr. Mark Green (R) of Clarksville was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and it is currently held in an interim status pending the outcome of the upcoming election.