Stronger representation.
Real accountability.
A Democratic Party ready to organize and deliver.
State government is where the decisions made in Nashville show up in everyday life.
It’s where laws get written. Public schools get funded or undermined. Healthcare gets expanded or blocked. Costs go up or come down. And when people feel like politics is happening somewhere far away, this is often where the consequences land.
This page is your clear guide to the Anderson County Democratic candidates running in 2026 for the Tennessee House, Tennessee Senate, and State Executive Committee.
These candidates will appear on the August Democratic Primary ballot. Primary winners advance to the November General Election.
Gov, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee House, Democratic State Executive Committee Primary | Thursday, August 6 2026
Early Voting for August General:
Friday, July 17 - Saturday, August 1
*Request an absentee ballot for the August Election by Monday, July 27 2026
State and Federal General Election | Tuesday, November 3 2026
Early Voting for November General:
Wednesday, October 14 - Thursday, October 29
*Request an absentee ballot for the November Election by Saturday, October 24, 2026
Meet Your November Candidates
The candidates below are running in Democratic primary races that will help shape both who represents our region in Nashville and who helps guide the future of the Tennessee Democratic Party.
Primary winners will advance to the November General Election.
Tennessee House District 33
Two Democrats are running in the primary for House District 33. Voters will choose between Anne Backus and Kelly McCampbell to determine who advances to the November General Election.
Anne Backus
Anne Backus is a retired Y-12 project manager and longtime community volunteer running for Tennessee House District 33. A resident of the district for more than 45 years, she points to decades of local involvement, volunteer service, and public engagement as the foundation of her campaign. Her priorities include public education, healthcare access, affordability, and constituent service.
Kelly McCampbell
Kelly McCampbell is an engineer, working mom, and Y-12 technical advisor running for Tennessee House District 33. Her background in data analytics and high-risk analysis shapes a campaign focused on affordability, accountability, and the pressures facing working families. Her materials emphasize public education, healthcare access, and a systems-focused approach to state government.
House District 41
Ralph Goodman
Ralph Goodman is an electrical engineer, former TVA manager, and Morgan County resident running for Tennessee House District 41. A Wartburg native, he points to decades of engineering, leadership, and community involvement as the foundation of his campaign. His priorities include healthcare access, support for rural public schools, and economic development in the district.
State Senate District 5
David Miller
David Miller is a retired educator and current Anderson County School Board member running for Tennessee Senate District 5. He points to more than 35 years in education, public service, and community leadership as the foundation of his campaign. His priorities include affordability, public education, healthcare access, and responsive representation.
State Executive Committee
State Executive Committee members help represent local Democrats within the Tennessee Democratic Party and play a role in party governance, organization, and long-term strategy.
Two Democrats are running in the primary for State Executive Committeeman. Voters will choose between David Garcia and Andrew Bennett in the August Primary. Anne Backus is running for State Executive Committeewoman.
Anne Backus
Anne Backus is a retired Y-12 project manager and longtime community volunteer running for Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committeewoman. She has served on the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee since 2020 and says her focus has been on supporting county parties, strengthening party structure, and making sure local concerns are heard at the state level.
Andrew Bennett
Andrew Bennett is an insurance agent and longtime Loudon County Democratic activist running for the Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee. Active in local party work since his 2012 state legislative run, he brings experience in healthcare enrollment, mediation, and community leadership. His campaign emphasizes voter registration, stronger communication between state and local party organizations, and practical organizing focused on working families.
David Garcia
David Garcia is a union electrician, labor organizer, and Army veteran running for the Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee. He currently serves as Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 270 in Oak Ridge and has deep roots in the community. His campaign emphasizes party organization, stronger county support, candidate development, and better connection with working-class voters.
House District 33
Anne Backus
Retired Project Manager & Community Volunteer
Anne Backus is a retired Y-12 project manager and longtime district resident running for Tennessee House District 33. She spent 33 years at Y-12 managing projects, budgets, and teams, and says that experience taught her how to solve problems, listen to different perspectives, and work toward practical results. She has lived in the district for more than 45 years and points to her long ties through church, schools, and volunteer work as central to her connection to the community.
She is running after years of civic involvement and community advocacy. In her materials, Anne highlights volunteer service as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Anderson County Juvenile Court, leadership with the Oak Ridge chapter of PFLAG, tutoring and youth work through church, and broader local involvement across Anderson County. She says those experiences, especially seeing where systems fall short for children and families, helped shape her decision to seek office.
Her campaign emphasizes public education, healthcare access, affordability, and constituent communication. Anne presents herself as a candidate focused on listening closely, working with others where possible, and making sure the concerns of people in the district are represented in Nashville.
“Government should refocus its priorities on serving people and strengthening our communities.”
Facebook | Email: backusfortn33@gmail.com
Website: backusfortn33.com
House District 33
Kelly McCampbell
Engineer & Working-Family Advocate
Kelly McCampbell is an engineer, working mom, and Y-12 technical advisor running for Tennessee House District 33. Originally from a small farm outside Dandridge, she now lives in Oak Ridge, where she and her daughter have built a life rooted in strong schools, community, and East Tennessee. Her professional background is in data analytics and high-risk analysis, and she frames that experience as shaping how she approaches public service: examining how systems work, where they break down, and what it takes to improve them.
She is running because she believes too many Tennesseans are working hard and still falling behind while state government stays focused on the wrong priorities. Her campaign is framed around the pressures facing working families, including rising housing and utility costs, strain on public schools, and gaps in healthcare and mental health access. In her materials, Kelly returns repeatedly to the idea that Tennessee has the resources to do better, but that government has to be more accountable for the outcomes people are living with every day.
Her campaign emphasizes affordability, healthcare access, public education, and government accountability. Kelly presents herself as a candidate focused on problem-solving, urgency, and making state government work better for working families.
“We need leaders who think in systems and stay focused on people.”
Facebook | Email: kelly@kellyfortn33.com
Website: kellymccampbell.com
House District 41
Ralph Goodman
Engineer, Former TVA Manager & Community Volunteer
Ralph Goodman is an electrical engineer, former TVA manager, and Morgan County resident running for Tennessee House District 41. Born and raised in Wartburg, he graduated from Tennessee Tech and spent 32 years with TVA in engineering and operations roles before continuing work as an independent electrical engineering contractor. He points to both his professional background and his long connection to Morgan County as shaping how he approaches public service.
He is running because he wants to make Tennessee a better place to live and believes change will not happen unless qualified candidates step forward. In his materials, Ralph connects that decision to concerns about healthcare access, reproductive freedom, tax fairness, and the direction of state government. He also highlights local involvement through the Morgan County Democrats, trail work on the Cumberland Trail, volunteer service at Frozen Head State Park, church leadership, and recovery ministry.
His campaign emphasizes healthcare access, support for rural public schools, and economic development in the district. Ralph’s stated priorities include expanding Medicaid, pushing back on school vouchers, improving Highway 62, and reducing regressive tax burdens. He presents himself as a candidate focused on practical improvements that would strengthen quality of life in rural Tennessee.
“Change will not come if we don’t have good qualified candidates on the ballot”
State Senate District 5
David Miller
Educator, School Board Member & Public Service Advocate
David Miller is a retired educator and current Anderson County School Board member running for Tennessee Senate District 5. He points to more than 35 years in education, public service, and community leadership as the foundation of his campaign. In his materials, he describes public service as a through-line in his life and presents himself as someone shaped by both professional experience and longstanding civic involvement.
He is running because, as he puts it, these are troubled times and he felt he needed to do what he could to help make change. He frames the campaign as an extension of a life already centered on service, and he also points to community involvement through organizations like Rotary, the Dictionary Project, and English as a Second Language teaching. His responses suggest a candidacy grounded less in political branding than in duty, steadiness, and a desire to be useful.
His campaign emphasizes affordability, public education, healthcare access, and visible constituent service. David’s submitted priorities include ending the grocery tax, improving housing affordability, protecting public schools, and strengthening healthcare access, especially in underserved areas. He presents himself as a candidate focused on being clearly on the side of working people and responsive to the district he would represent.
“Our party needs to be more organized, more connected to local communities, and more focused on building long-term success.”
Facebook | Email: vote@davidmillerfortn.com
Website: davidmillerfortennessee.com
Deemocratic State
Executive Committeewoman
Anne Backus
Community Volunteer & State Party Representative
Anne was first appointed to the State Executive Committee in January 2020 to fill a vacancy, then elected by voters in 2022 for a full term. In her materials, she says she agreed to serve because local Democrats wanted to make sure Anderson County’s concerns were represented at the state level, and she believed her experience was a good fit for the role. She describes her decision to run again as part of a continued commitment to helping the Tennessee Democratic Party grow and better support Democrats across the state.
Her campaign emphasizes support for county parties, practical party structure, and stronger coordination across Tennessee Democrats. Anne’s responses focus especially on rural county support, improving party bylaws and operating procedures, training and onboarding, and helping the Executive Committee function more effectively across different perspectives. She presents herself as a candidate focused on steady leadership, communication, and making sure Democrats in District 5 are represented within state party leadership.
“Leadership means supporting county parties and raising their concerns to the state level.”
Email: casabackusanne@gmail.com
Democratic State Executive Committeeman
Andrew Bennett
Insurance Advisor & Voter Registration Advocate
Andrew Bennett is an insurance agent and longtime Democratic activist running for the Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee. He has been active in the Loudon County Democratic Party since his 2012 run for the state legislature, and he says his professional work has centered on helping people navigate health insurance and Medicare decisions. His background also includes nonprofit work, church leadership, Toastmasters, and training in conflict resolution and mediation.
He is running because he believes Tennessee Democrats need to move the state in a different direction and that party-building work is part of making that possible. In his materials, Andrew places special emphasis on voter registration, arguing that Democrats cannot win simply by turning out the current base. He also frames the State Executive Committee role as one that should help improve communication between county organizations and the state party.
His campaign emphasizes voter registration, better coordination between local and state party structures, and practical organizing focused on the concerns of working- and middle-class voters. Andrew presents himself as a candidate focused on communication, relationship-building, and helping the party grow by reaching more people and improving how it works internally.
“I think the road to victory is paved with better voter registration.”
Email: benneaf@outlook.com
Democratic State Executive Committeeman
David Garcia
Labor Leader, Veteran & Party-Building Advocate
David Garcia is a lifelong Tennessean, union electrician, labor organizer, and Army veteran running for the Tennessee Democratic Party State Executive Committee. He currently serves as Assistant Business Manager for IBEW Local 270 in Oak Ridge, where he works on jobs, training, and workforce development. His materials also highlight 12 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves, along with longstanding ties to Powell and the surrounding area.
He is running because he believes the Tennessee Democratic Party needs to be more organized, more connected to local communities, and more focused on long-term success. David ties that view to his experience in the labor movement, where he says strong systems, accountability, and follow-through are what produce real results. He also points to broader community involvement through boards, nonprofits, and volunteer efforts, including Habitat for Humanity projects.
His campaign emphasizes rebuilding county party infrastructure, strengthening candidate recruitment and training, and improving communication between state and local Democratic organizations. David presents himself as a candidate focused on organization, accountability, and making sure working families and grassroots voices are reflected in party leadership.
“Our party needs to be more organized, more connected to local communities, and more focused on building long-term success.”
Email: davidagarcia@gmail.com
People deserve representation that is willing to show up, speak plainly, and answer to the public. They deserve leaders who will bring real community experience, real urgency, and real accountability to the table — not just titles, talking points, or political comfort. That is what democracy should demand.