Tennessee State Senator Adam Lowe Running For Reelection: A Look At His Voting Record

Image Credit: Senator J. Adam Lowe, Tennessee District 1 / Facebook & Antony-22 /CC

Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –

Elected to represent District 1 in 2022, Senator Adam Lowe has completed his first term in the General Assembly and is seeking reelection for another four years. Lowe says he has “carried and supported conservative legislation” and “championed the Trump agenda in the state”, and his voting record shows examples both confirming and raising questions about these statements. 

Voters are encouraged to explore some of Lowe’s legislative highlights below, which include some conservative wins and some legislative blunders, to decide if his record has earned him another term of service or if his competitors in the August primary may be worth a deeper look.

2023

Conservative Wins

Sponsored Legislation Requiring Public Comment At Government Meetings: Lowe was the Senate sponsor on SB0551 which expanded Tennessee’s Sunshine Laws by requiring state and local governments to allow time for public comment at meetings. The legislation passed the General Assembly along party lines, becoming law shortly after and going on to be further strengthened in subsequent legislation, also sponsored by Lowe.

Sponsored Legislation To Close Tennessee Primary Elections: SB0452 was Lowe’s first attempt to pass legislation establishing party registration to prevent illegal crossover voting and close primary elections. This bill was killed in a House committee when Chairman John Crawford likely miscounted the voice vote and was General Subbed in the Senate as a result.

Legislative Blunders

Killed Legislation To Restore Tennessee State Sovereignty: Lowe, along with five other Republicans, refused to second a motion for SB1092 to be heard in committee, allowing the legislation to die on the spot. The bill would have established a process for the General Assembly to nullify unconstitutional actions by the federal government. Janice Bowling, the Senate sponsor, has run this piece of legislation for several consecutive years, and each iteration been killed in committee.

Voted To Potentially Expand Exceptions For Abortions: SB0745 created exceptions for a physician’s “good faith” judgement by allowing a subjective standard for physicians to potentially and willfully permit abortion for a patient in order to “prevent a (potential) medical emergency.” This phraseology means an actual medical emergency is not necessary to allow a physician or mother to choose an abortion, thereby weaking Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act which already has several exceptions on the abortion “ban.” The bill was sponsored by Sen. Richard Briggs who has a history of supporting pro-abortion policies and pushing legislation undermining protections for the unborn.

2024

Conservative Wins

Voted To Prevent Pride Flags From Being Displayed In Classrooms: SB1722 would have banned certain flags, including Pride and other ideological flags, from being displayed in public school classrooms. The bill passed the House made it all the way to the Senate floor but died when several Republicans opted not to vote on the measure, causing it to fail to reach the required majority threshold for passage.

Defined Foods Containing Vaccines As Drugs: Defining food containing a vaccine or vaccine materials as a drug for the purposes of the Tennessee Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, SB1903 ensures that any food carrying edible vaccine material is legally defined as and regulated as a “drug”. This distinction protects consumers and helps them avoid potential confusion between actual food and foods carrying a pharmaceutical product. Lowe voted in favor of the bill and helped it pass into law.

Banned Geoengineering & Weather Modification: SB2691 prohibits the intentional release of chemicals into the air in an attempt to change the weather, temperature, or sunlight intensity. The bill passed mainly along party lines before becoming Tennessee law.

Restricted Healthcare Facilities From Coercing Vaccinations: Lowe voted in favor of SB2151 which prohibits healthcare providers from coercing individuals to consent to a vaccination for themselves or a person they have legal authority to make medical decisions for, under the guise it is required by state law, and prohibits the misrepresentation that a newborn screening test is required by state law. The legislation passed along party lines before becoming Tennessee law.

Legislative Blunders

Again Killed Legislation To Restore Tennessee State Sovereignty: Lowe voted along with several other Republicans to send the third try at curbing government overreach and establishing constitutional nullification to a summer study, killing SB2775 for the year.

Approved Deceptive “Red Flag” Law: This bill expanded mandatory reporting laws for mental healthcare providers, requiring them to report the possibility of potential violent acts by their patients to law enforcement. SB1673 was characterized as “red flag adjacent” over concerns about the type of information that must be reported and collected by state agencies in the same fashion and place as records of those who have committed actual crimes, potentially being used to deprive Tennesseans of access to their Second Amendment rights.

Voted For Legislation Specifying Autopsy Reports Of Minors Are Not Public Record: SB2020 blocks public access to the autopsy reports of children who are victims of violent crime so long as the child’s parent or legal guardian is not a suspect in the circumstances surrounding the minor’s death. The legislation was considered problematic by conservatives because it inadvertently impedes the public’s right to access important information, restricting the ability of the community and public watchdogs to oversee and understand the circumstances surrounding violent crimes, potentially leading to a lack of trust in the investigative process.

2025

Conservative Wins

Sponsored Legislation Expanding Public Input At Public Meetings: SB0178 sought to expand on 2023’s SB0551, allowing Tennesseans to speak on any topic at public meetings so long as the matter is “germane to the jurisdiction of the governing body.” The bill was killed by several Republicans who marked themselves “Present Not Voting”, leaving the bill stuck on a tie vote in committee. However, it did eventually pass during the 2026 legislative session.

Sponsored Legislation To Close Tennessee Primary Elections: SB0777 was heavily supported by conservatives as it would have required party affiliation and would have acted as an enforcement mechanism to help prevent illegal crossover voting. No member of the Senate State & Local Government Committee would second the motion to hear the bill, allowing it to stall for the year. Lowe revived the bill in 2026 and managed to get it set for a floor vote, but the measure died in the House thanks to a tie vote in a committee.

Criminalized Human Smuggling & Harboring Illegal Aliens In Tennessee: This bill created the offenses of human smuggling, harboring or hiding, and assisting another in harboring or hiding illegal immigrants who are known to have illegally entered or remained in the country. SB0392 was championed by conservatives as it was a legitimate attempt to address the immigration crisis in the state, which s Republicans had been generally unwilling to tackle, and created strong penalties for offenders. The bill passed along party lines before becoming law.

Supported Disenrolling Illegal Alien Children From Public Schools: One of the most contentions pieces of the session, SB0836 authorized LEAs and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students illegally present in the U.S. After passing the Senate in a narrow vote, the bill stalled in the House at the end of session and was then completely gutted after being revived in 2026 by Rep. William Lamberth. Senate sponsor Bo Watson rejected the revised version, and a vote was never taken to reconcile the two bills, ultimately letting it die in limbo.

Legislative Blunders

Voted In Favor Of Shielding Pesticide Makers: SB0527 would have limited liability for pesticide manufacturers in some cases involving consumer injury. Lowe voted in favor of this highly controversial legislation, helping pass it in the Senate, though it was deferred in the House to 2026 and ultimately taken off notice after considerable conservative pushback.

Helped Establish A Legal “Right” To Reproductive Technologies: The controversial “Fertility and Contraceptive Protection Act” was framed as a reproductive healthcare protection measure but was deemed dangerous by conservatives and pro-life advocacy groups for its disregard of both the state and scientific definitions of “unborn child”. SB0449 essentially codified the ability to indiscriminately create and discard human embryos through fertility treatments and technologies like IVF and was supported by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Several conservative lawmakers asked Gov. Lee to veto the legislation to no avail.

Voted Against Prohibiting Out-Of-State PACs From Influencing Primary Elections: SB1040 sought to prevent PACs headquartered in other states from making contributions, especially in-kind, to candidates in Tennessee Republican primary elections. The bill was killed 7-0 in committee.

Did Not Support Charging Tuition To Illegal Alien Students: While he supported SB0836 which would have given school districts the option to potentially not allow illegal alien students to be enrolled, Lowe voted against a stronger, conservative-backed piece of legislation on the topic. SB1044 would have required parents or guardians to provide proof of citizenship or be charged tuition for enrollment into a public school.  The bill failed in committee when Lowe and four other Republicans voted against it.

Failed To Enact Consequences For Geoengineering: In another seemingly contradictory vote, Lowe helped kill a bill which would have strengthened Tennessee’s enforcement of its ban on weather modification, for which Lowe voted in favor in 2024. SB1033 would have made geoengineering a Class A misdemeanor and empowered the Attorney General to investigate credible reports of violations. Lowe voted with two other Republicans and two Democrats to kill the bill in committee.

2026

Conservative Wins

Lowe voted in favor of all conservative-backed immigration-related legislation which became a central theme in this year’s session.

Reversed Course On State Sovereignty: After voting against the measure twice, Lowe voted in favor of SB2657 asserting the state legislature’s authority to nullify unconstitutional federal statutes and orders. The bill ultimately still died in committee, marking the 5^th attempt by Sen. Bowling to pass the “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act”.

Voted To Preserve Citizens’ Right To Sue The State: This legislation became one of the most controversial pieces of 2026 as opponents of SB1958 contended it strips an individual’s right to challenge constitutionally questionable laws unless they are actually harmed by it. Lowe voted “No” on the bill, attempting to preserve the ability of citizens to keep their government accountable, but the bill became Tennessee law.

Prioritized Individual Choice In Health Decisions: SB0162 would have simply added fluoridating a public water system to the list of prohibited acts concerning water systems in Tennessee. By voting “Yes”, Lowe stood in favor of informed consent and the right of Tennesseans to make their own health decisions regarding chemicals and additives in their food and water supplies. The legislation died in committee for the second consecutive year by only one vote.

Legislative Blunders

Voted Against Homeschool Freedoms: SB2636 gives homeschool families additional options for mandated standardized testing and removes a part of Tennessee code which has never been used regarding remediation for homeschool students based on low testing scores that could have potentially forced homeschoolers back into public schools. Lowe joined another Republican and all Democrats to vote against these educational freedoms which became law.

Sponsored Truancy Bill Opposed By Homeschoolers: While it was ultimately amended so as to theoretically not impact homeschool families, SB1968 originally would have required the director of a school to “report a student who was formally truant and now enrolled in a home school to juvenile court” and “to identify cases of educational neglect”. After considerable pushback from state and national homeschool community, the bill was reintroduced with language omitting “home school”, though advocacy groups said the now-passed legislation remained virtually unchanged and still posed a potential threat to the constitutional right to homeschool in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Legislative Report Card rates Lowe significantly higher than many other Republicans in the General Assembly, giving him vote score of 91, lifetime score of 81, and a B for leadership grade. Approximately 45% of his campaign contributions have come from special interest groups. To explore the full report, click HERE.

Lowe has drawn two Republican challengers, former USDA State Director Dennis Beavers and realtor Teresa Congioloso. 

Describing himself as a “conservative businessman and farmer,” Dennis Beavers worked on President Trump’s 2016 campaign and went on to serve as executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farms Services Agency in Tennessee. He pledges to bring “an outsider’s focus to Nashville” and is committed to fighting for stronger schools, better roads, and safer communities, supporting local farmers, and increasing well-paying jobs across the region.

To learn more about Beavers’ campaign, visit his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Dennisbeaversforsenate/ 

Teresa Congioloso, a longtime realtor, describes herself as a conservative, pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment Republican who also reportedly opposes the state’s school voucher program.

To learn more about Congioloso’s platform and experience, visit her official campaign website: https://www.teresacongiolosoforsenate26.com/meet_teresa 

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.