Tennessee State Representative John Crawford Running For Reelection: A Look At His Voting Record

Image Credit: John Crawford for Tennessee House District 1 / Facebook & Antony-22 /CC

Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –

Having held the House District 1 office since 2016, Rep. John Crawford bills himself as a “Tennessee First conservative”,  and will appear for reelection on the August Republican primary ballot. But his voting record may be worth another look for voters to decide if this moniker is appropriate based on some highlights over the past few years.

2023

Crawford was featured as RINO Legislator of the Year in the House for actively working with left-leaning interest groups and corporations to kill conservative legislation and generally displaying behavioral patterns contrary to the will of conservative voters. 

Killed A Bill Combating Crossover Voting In Primary Elections: While chairing the House State & Local Government Committee, Crawford allowed a voice vote on HB1045 which would have required TN voters to declare a party affiliation and made them ineligible to obtain a primary election ballot for another party. Crawford likely miscounted the number of “Yes” votes as several Representatives requested to be recorded as in favor and others told The Tennessee Conservative they also voted “Yes” and believed they were in the majority, but Crawford called the vote for the “Nos” anyways and killed the bill. 

Killed Legislation Closing Primary Elections: A different bill seeking to implement party registration and preventing Independents from voting in party primaries, HB0405 was also killed by Crawford using another voice vote where he again declared the “No” votes to be in the majority despite numerous Reps. requesting to be recorded as “Yes” and more reporting they heard additional colleagues vote in favor who were not recorded.

Voted Against Allowing The Public To Decide On Term Limits: HB0118 sought to create a referendum process enabling the public to vote on whether their city councilors and county commissioners could be term limited to 16 years. Crawford was one of five Republicans to vote against the bill, killing it in committee. 

Voted Against Checking Immigration Status Of Potential Voters: HB0835 aimed to clean up voter rolls and aid in election integrity by requiring the coordinator of elections to compare the statewide voter registration database with the department of safety database to ensure non-U.S. citizens were not registered to vote in the state. Crawford initially voted against the bill in the Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee, but later voted along the party line on the House floor where HB0835 eventually passed.

Legislation To Require Immigration Status Check Of Potential Voters Moves Forward In TN House

2025

Crawford was again named a RINO Legislator of the Year, actively working against conservative principles and interests.

Voted To Allow Lawmakers’ Family Members To Work As Capitol Lobbyists: A proposed rule change at the beginning of the 2025 legislative session would have prevented conflicts of interest that might occur when a lawmaker’s family member is paid to lobby the General Assembly. Crawford voted against this rule change despite a majority of polled GOP primary voters saying they believed this conflict was unethical.

House Republicans Vote To Allow Family Members Of Lawmakers To Remain Lobbyists At Tennessee Capitol

Voted Against Transporting Illegal Aliens To Sanctuary Cities: HB0010 would have required any illegal aliens in custody not remitted to ICE be transported to out-of-state sanctuary cities. The bill did not receive a single “Yes” vote from subcommittee members, with Crawford joining two Democrats in voting “No”. The other Republicans chose not to cast a vote or marked themselves “Present Not Voting”.

Voted Against Expanding Citizen Input At Public Meetings: HB0022 expanded First Amendment Rights of Tennesseans wanting to speak at public meetings did pass the full House, allowing them to speak on any topic so long as the matter is “germane to the jurisdiction of the governing body.” Despite several “No” votes from Republicans, including Crawford, the bill still passed the House in 2025 and eventually the Senate in 2026.

Voted Against Protecting County Residents From Paying For City Developments: HB0365 sought to save county residents from covering costs of city developments by prohibiting municipalities from taking actions which could result in tax obligations, fees, or other costs for real property owners residing outside a city’s corporate boundaries unless the county’s legislative body approved such a measure. Crawford and two other Republicans joined Democrats to kill the bill 5-1. 

Voted Against Keeping Recovery Houses Away From Schools: HB0783 was originally intended to allow local governments to prescribe a distance requirement for how far away a sober living home must be from primary schools, preschools, and daycares. Crawford voted against the bill in subcommittee, but it still went on to become law, albeit as a heavily amended version which created a pilot program in only one county.

Bill To Distance Recovery Houses Further Away From Children Passes In Tennessee House Subcommittee

Voted Against Preventing Government Overreach: Seeking to prohibit state government from declaring any citizen “non-essential” in times of emergency, HB0562 made it to the House floor, but not before Crawford voted against it in the  State & Local Government Committee. On the floor, it was objected to and Crawford again stood against the bill by voting to send it back to the House Judiciary Committee for further review. HB0562 barely cleared the Judiciary Committee in 2026 and was set for a second try at a House vote, but the Senate companion was killed by RINOs and the legislation died. 

2026

While Crawford voted in favor of several conservative-backed bills this year, often taking the Republican party line in an election year and supporting legislation he had appeared previously not to (like actions on illegal immigration), there were still instances where he operated against conservative interests.

Voted To Strip Citizens’ Right To Sue The State: This legislation became one of the most controversial pieces of 2026 as opponents of HB1971 contented it strips an individual’s right to challenge constitutionally questionable state laws unless they are actually harmed by it. Crawford voted “Yes” on the bill, helping to pass the legislation and potentially prevent citizens from keeping their government accountable. 

Controversial Bill That Opponents Say Removes Right Of Tennesseans To Sue The State Signed Into Law By Governor

According to the Tennessee Legislative Report Card for 2025, Crawford has a vote score of 71 and leadership grade of C+. The report also shows he has received around 80% of campaign contributions from special interest groups. To view the full report, click HERE.

Crawford has gained a conservative competitor for the District 1 primary in August, current Sullivan County Commissioner Jessica Means. 

In addition to her leadership roles on the commission, Means is also a farmer, entrepreneur, and health and wellness instructor. Her campaign is emphasizing parental rights in education, transparency and accountability for government spending, the right to life, Second Amendment rights, religious liberty, and strong support for law enforcement. 

“Conservatives have always been here. What’s changed is that voters are no longer willing to settle for campaign promises that don’t translate into conservative action. People want representatives who will listen to their districts, defend constitutional principles, protect taxpayers, and have the courage to challenge the establishment when necessary,” Means told The Tennessee Conservative.

To learn more, visit her official campaign website: https://www.votejessicameans.com/meet-jessica. 

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.