Menda Holmes, chairman of the Wilson County Tea Party and an avid opponent of Governor Haslam’s gas tax increase, announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent the 46th District in the the Tennessee House of Representatives on Friday.
Holmes was one of 50 leading Tennessee conservatives who signed a letter to the Tennessee General Assembly opposing the gas tax increase back in March, as The Tennessee Star reported at the time.
The district is currently represented by State Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), who has announced he will not run for re-election, but will instead run for the State Senate seat currently held by State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet). Beavers is not running for re-election, but instead is one of five candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
“As a self-employed business owner and the daughter Albert McCall Sr., owner of D.T. McCall and Sons, Holmes has been a resident of Wilson County for the past 28 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Trevecca University and is the mother of two grown children. Holmes lives in the southwestern part of the county with her husband, Howard, and they are both active members at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro,” the Lebanon Democrat reported:
She has served as the chairman of the Wilson County Tea Party for the past four years. During that time, the Tea Party played host to top conservative leaders who spoke on a wide variety of issues that affect Tennesseans. She also worked in the legislature to research bills for Pody and served on the executive board of the Wilson County Republican Party.
Holmes described herself as a strong supporter of the biblical values and constitutional principles that make Tennessee great. As an advocate for state’s rights, religious liberty, the right to life and the Second Amendment, she said she would work to continue to advance the conservative principles Pody stood for during his four terms in the House. Her campaign theme, “Keeping the Promise,” follows the footsteps of President Donald Trump to fulfill the promises made during the campaign with real action and not to cave in to special interests, she said.
Holmes plans to help in the Republican and Tea Party booths at the Wilson County Fair that will run Aug. 18-26. She said she invites people to stop by, share their thoughts and find out how she will work to serve the citizens of the District 46.
Both Rep. Pody and State Sen. Beavers opposed Governor’s gas tax increase proposal, which passed both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Haslam in May despite vigorous opposition from conservatives. The gas tax increase went into effect at the pumps here in Tennessee on July 1.
