Age
48
Education
Earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
Work experience
Jerri has dedicated her life to public service. As Executive Director of the Community Legal Center, she provided affordable legal help to Memphians. She then served Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff, advancing public safety, reproductive healthcare, and living wages. Recently appointed Shelby County’s Chief Public Defender, she protects the constitution and our most vulnerable residents. Now representing District 2 on the Memphis City Council, Jerri continues to deliver. She increased funding for first responders, reduced violent crime by getting guns off our streets, cracked down on neglectful landlords, and expanded access to pre-K and youth mental health programming.
I've made more than 100 stops across our state already, and this is what I hear everywhere I go:
"I don't want a gilded ballroom, I want groceries I can afford. I don't want a cage match on the white house lawn, I want a reimagining of our public schools. And I don't want warfare abroad, I want healthcare right here at home".
Life is too expensive, healthcare is out of reach for too many, and our public schools need more investment.
I will end the grocery tax and make corporations pay their fair share. They reap multibillion-dollar breaks while families get poorer. It’s time to stop serving billionaires and put hard-earned money back into the pockets of working Tennesseans.
I will expand healthcare access by expanding Medicaid, lowering drug costs, defending reproductive freedom, and investing in mental health. Tennessee leads in maternal mortality and no one should rely on a GoFundMe just to survive.
I will fully fund public schools by defunding the voucher scam. Tennesseans are paying more out of their pockets to send children whose families can afford it to private school, and less for the majority of children who go to public schools. This is backwards.
I would stop hoarding TANF funds (Tennessee Assistance for Needy Families) and put those dollars to work on Day ONE to provide relief for Tennesseans. Here are three things I'll do with these existing funds to help residents immediately:
Housing Relief: Use $10 Million of TANF funding to waive security deposits and ensure affordable housing for 100,000+ Tennessee families.
Childcare for All: Use $50 Million of TANF funding to clear the waitlist for every family, ensuring no parent has to choose between a paycheck and their child.
End Medical Debt: Use $10 Million of TANF funding to buy up and erase predatory debt for more than 100,000 Tennesseans.
I would defund the voucher scheme in my very first budget and put public dollars back into public schools where they belong. I've often been to rural, small towns that only have one school. When you take money from that school, which is often the community’s biggest employer, you take money from that community’s future. We’re robbing our children of opportunities to give families who can afford private school welfare. We could use the (at least) 1 billion dollars we're putting into vouchers over the next five years to raise teacher pay, wipe out half the school repair backlog, and increase classroom resources.
The Governor should push for regulations on AI and data centers throughout our state as this rapidly developing technology threatens our environment, our children, and our democracy.
As governor, I plan to fine large corporations that replace 25 or more workers with AI, save our drinking water by requiring tech companies to cool their servers with recycled water, protect your electric bills by making sure families don’t pay for the massive power needs of AI centers, and more.
On the City Council, I've supported many of these measures after xAI came to our city through legal avenues.
